When I First Saw You
by Tortured Remorse
Summary: Eli Goldsworthy and Clare Edwards go their seperate ways. Years later, as Eli becomes a famous author, he reunites with his first and only true love.
1. Chapter 1

_**Chapter One**_

"It seems like you've made the next hit sensation, Mr. Goldsworthy."

Elijah Goldsworthy looked from his interviewer out into the sea of fans. Normally they would simply be just people who were trying to enjoy some late night television but Eli knew better. They had advertised very well that he would be here tonight. A very rare few got the honor of getting ahead of line for the autographs, which he would do immediately following the interview.

"I just wanted to take the story to a new place." Eli said, over the still clapping audience. "People who have followed Clara all this time should be-" He paused, noticing the still clapping hands about to abrupt into another applause- "are very pleased that three of my books will now be made into movies."

"Sources say that the inspiration for the character of Clara came from a high school girlfriend." The interviewer said, moving on. "Would you mind telling us a little about that? Or if the rumors are even true?"

Eli took a deep breath. "They're true. Clara was a character that I created for my high school play that I had written. She was based off of a girlfriend who broke up with me. And that's where Clara was born."

"Have you seen or heard from this girl whom Clara is based off of?"

"No." Eli said sadly. "I haven't heard from her since I graduated high school."

"A shame." The interviewer said. "She would probably be very honored."

Eli nodded silently as the interview ended and they went co commercial. He was directed from the interview chair to the place they had set up for the autograph signing. It was a comfortable little corner. He cracked his knuckles and his neck and looked over to the security guards that the television channel had so graciously provided. "All right. I'm ready. Bring them in."

The guards nodded and went to go let then fans that had been selected for this. They came back with only six fans whom lined up and all proved to be very nice and respectful and good fans of the series.

Except when it came down to the sixth and final person.

The woman who looked about to be only a year or two younger than him approached. She held out the book and Eli smiled politely and picked up his pen.

"Who am I signing this to?"

He looked down and placed the tip of the pen on the page when she answered.

"To Clare Edwards."

His heart stopped. He looked up very, very slowly. Afraid that if he moved too quickly, she might vanish like smoke. Very slowly he said, "Beg your pardon?"

"It's been a long time... Eli." She said, her lips tugged into that old smile he had known so well. "But you heard me."

"Clare?" He fought the urge to throw his arms around her and squeeze her until she popped. "What are... Why..."

"I came here to get the autograph of a famous author whom I knew when I was younger." Clare said. She sounded like she was fighting to keep from crying. "Whom I didn't appreciate."

Eli glanced over at the security guards. Surely they would start to get suspicious of why it was taking them so long. "I'm done for the day." Eli called out to them. "Thanks for your help." They traded glances. Eli thought for a moment that they weren't going to take the hint but they nodded and walked down the hall, leaving them alone.

"Are you...are you free to grab a coffee or something?" Eli asked as he stood up. "I would love to catch up with you."

"Yeah." Clare whispered under her breath. "Yeah, that would be great."

He had grabbed his things as quickly as he could. "You don't sound so sure." He observed as he took his keys out of his pocket. "Are you... are you sure you're okay?"

She exhaled deeply. "Yes. I'm fine. This... this is just a lot to absorb."

"What do you mean? Having a coffee with..." He struggled to find the right word. "An old friend?"

As he looked over at her again, he noticed for the second time that she seemed almost one the verge of tears. She kept fighting it, though. Her voices steady although her eyes were watery. "I didn't expect you to be so... welcoming. So willing to jump to talk with me. I thought I could get an autograph and leave you be..."

There it was. Eli finally understood what was bothering her. All this time, almost a decade after he had graduated, Clare was still holding onto that guilt. She must have felt terrible. All this time. "Clare.. Don't get so upset, okay? We'll go grab a coffee and you can tell me how you've been. No need to bring the past up."

But she couldn't leave it there. Try as she might, Clare's defense finally began to crumble. "Eli, I'm sorry. You were the best thing to ever happen to me... but how could I have known? I was only fifteen! I'm twenty-six now and I'm so unhappy!"

"You didn't come for an autograph." Eli said cautiously, catching on. "You wanted to talk."

She nodded, wiping away the three tears she had spilled. "Yes.. Can we just go get that coffee and I'll tell you everything?"

Eli nodded. He led her to the closest coffee shop and ordered them two coffees. He sat down at the nearest table and Clare took the stop opposite him. She took a few sips of her coffee before speaking.

"When you graduated. That's when I had the feeling that things were going downhill for me." She inhaled softly. "Once I moved off to University, that's when the feeling turned into a reality. Jake had gotten accepted into the same University as me. So, we decided that our high school relationship would follow us over into University. Well... during the summer before freshman year, Jake changed. He became angrier. More controlling." Fresh tears began to blur her vision. "He blamed it on our parents relationship. He made such terrible remarks about me and one day during the freshman year, he finally became abusive. Physically and verbally."

"He _hit _you?" Eli said incredulously. "Why didn't you leave him?"

"I was afraid!" Clare said, the tears spilling onto her cheeks. "By the time junior year of University approached, he was talking marriage to our parents."

Before she could go on, Eli frowned. "Clare... please... Tell me you left him..."

"After I had graduated, and I mean immediately after I graduated, I married him. I had no choice because I was afraid that he would bludgeon me to death if I said no."

Eli looked down.

"I've suffered so much since you've been gone, Eli." Clare said sadly, reaching for his hand. "I've seen that you've done quite well for yourself. Are you married?"

Eli hated that she had changed the subject so abruptly. He didn't want to cause her anymore distress so he simply shook his head. "No. A few girlfriends her and there but nothing as serious as marriage."

"Why?"

_You don't want to know why. _Eli thought to himself darkly. _The pain you caused me still ripples through to today. _"I've had my own battles." Eli said for her benefit. "Being a hoarder and having OCD at such a young age isn't exactly husband material to most women." Neither was the small drinking problem that had developed when he was finally of age. It was another point against him. "But I've been okay without a wife."

Clare, even after all these years, knew him better than that. "You're still punishing yourself." She said, looking into his eyes and try as he might, he couldn't look away. "Oh, Eli.."

She had reached for his hand again when her phone began to ring.

She answered almost immediately.

"Where the hell are you?" came the voice that Eli suspected must be Jake Martin.

"I'm... I'm at the store. Like I said I was." Clare said, rustiling through her pocketbook. "The line is so long."

Eli realized that she was pretending to be at the store to fool her husband. He shook his head helplessly as Jake's voice rose. He was only getting angrier. She said that she would come back to the store when she was with him and pick the items back up. She hung up and wiped the tears from her eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Eli. I have to go." She said and held out her hand. "It was so nice seeing you again."

Eli looked at her hand as if it was some kind of foreign object. He stood up and wrapped his arms around her. "I've missed you, Clare. Please. Can I give you my number?"

She blinked back tears and nodded mutely.

He scribbled his number onto a napkin and gave it to her with a faint smile.

She barely managed to smother a sob as she turned and hurried away.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapter Two**_

Not long after he had gotten home from seeing Clare, he was drunk.

He, in his drunken state of mind, wanted to blame Clare for why he was drunk now. The pain that she had showed him. The depth of the hurt in her heart. How badly Jake Martin had hurt her and not just physically. She was the one who gave him a glimpse of what her pain was like.

And that had opened all sorts of old woulds that he thought had healed over time.

"Damn it!" He yelled at no one in particular, his voice sounding different; even to him. He was thankful that the tenets on his floor had other plans this evening because his music was loud and he was doing his best not to stumble around his apartment for fear of hurting himself.

So he just sat at the kitchen table, pouring what remained of his bottle of liquor. He looked through the top and into the bottom of the bottle with a disapproving frown.

"Shit."

He wasn't done drinking. He wasn't nearly as drunk as he would like to be. All he kept seeing was Clare and her tears and her exasperation. He needed to forget that image.

He needed more alcohol.

Which meant he needed to go to the store. Which meant a whole lot of things that, at the moment, he wasn't sure he could do without attracting the attention of the police.

Then an idea struck.

He picked up his cell and scrolled down until he saw her name. She was the newest addition but at the same time, an old one. He hit call and waited for her to pick up.

"Hello?"

"Clare?" Eli said as soberly as he could. "It's Eli. How... How are you?"

There was a short pause before she answered; "I'm fine. What's up?"

_Jake must be listening. _Eli thought to himself grimly. She wasn't being as friendly or as open as she had been at the coffee shop. "Um... I just wanted to know if you wanted to have a few drinks or something." He said, closing his eyes as the sound of that. Sounded like a desperate booty call. He didn't even know if Clare drank.

"That... that would be nice." Clare said softly. "Where... where should I meet you?"

Right. She couldn't let Jake know where she was going. He couldn't go and pick her up, even if he wasn't drunk. That meant meeting her at a halfway point. He mulled that over before dismissing that idea.

It would have to be here.

"My...my place?"

A longer pause followed. He hoped that she wasn't going to deny him now. She had already agreed to a few drinks. The place shouldn't matter. When she didn't reply right away, he added, "It's only a few blocks away from the coffee shop.. My car is in the shop and I would pick you up..."

"It's fine." Clare finally answered and he heard the muffled yet distinct chime of keys. She was leaving. "I'll be over there. What's the address?"

He gave her the address and had begun to give her directions when he said; "I just checked my liquor cabinet. I... don't have anything. Do you mind stopping to buy some more? I'll pay you back."

"You bought the coffee." Clare replied as if coffee and alcohol were the same price. "I've got this one. I'll... I'll see you soon."

And she hung up.

Deciding that he needed to sober up, he made his measure way to the bathroom and got a shower as quickly as he could. When it was finished, he felt sober enough to answer the door when Clare came and hopefully she wouldn't know that he had been drinking when he called her.

Almost half an hour passed when he heard the knock on his door. He got up and answered it, putting on his best smile despite not really feeling like it.

It faded fast.

Clare had tried to cover it up with makeup. Even with the coverup, he could see that there was a nice, deep bruise forming around her right eye. "It's what I get for being late." She replied to his unspoken question. "May... May I come in?"

He nodded mutely and gave her room to come in. She glided past him and as soon as he closed and locked the door, her arms were around his neck. She buried her face against his chest and sobbed.

He suddenly felt very sober.

"Ssh..." He patted her back gently and allowed her to sob. "It's okay. He won't get you here..."

After what seemed like an eternity, he finally managed to dislodge herself from his chest and look up into his eyes, tears still spilling from the corners. "I... I'm sorry..." She apologized, pulling away and wiping her eyes to no avail. "You wanted to have a good time and here I am, ruining it."

He shook his head. "No, not at all. You know-" He caught himself and corrected, "You knew you could always come to me. Just because we haven't spoken in years makes it any less true. I meant it then. And I mean it now."

She finally managed to get her tears under control. Her makeup had, unfortunately, smeared and exposed more of the bruise she had been attempting to cover up. He cringed as she reached into her pocketbook. She caught his gaze, just for a moment. She read him instantly. "It's bad, I know. I guess I'll go re-apply the makeup.. Where's your.."

He caught her arm as she turned to search for his bathroom. "I don't want you to put anymore on." He said softly. "I want you to remove it. I want to see what this bastard has done to you."

She flinched at the curse but looked up into his eyes, pleading with him. She didn't want to.

"Please." He said, even softer. "Please, Clare.."

She looked down after a moment and nodded. "Where's your bathroom?" She repeated her voice a whisper. Her bottom lip trembled and he couldn't take it anymore. He reached out and took her hand, leading her to his bathroom mirror and the wash cloth she could use. With a ragged sigh, she picked up the cloth, dabbed some warm water onto it, and slowly began removing the makeup inch by inch.

Eli watched, transfixed, as the twenty-six year old Clare turned, just for an instant, back into the fifteen year old Clare he had loved so deeply. With each centimeter of the bruise being revealed, the more his heart broke. He fought back tears and needed to look away when she was done. Her own eyes brimming with fresh tears as she looked onto his pained features.

"Eli..." She turned, grabbing his hand gently. Forcing him to look at her. "It's not your fault."

_It sure feels like it. _He retorted mentally. He shook his head. "I know. I know damn well whose fault it is..." His other hand curled into a fist as he thought about beating Jake Martin within an inch of his life.

Clare apparently could read minds as her expression softened. She reached out and cupped his cheek. She leaned closer, her breath warm against his skin as she whispered into his ear, "It's what I deserve for not giving you another chance."

He felt his heart break into two. Not being able to contain himself any longer, he pulled her close to him, setting his lips to hers hungrily.

She didn't pull away...


	3. Chapter 3

_**Chapter Three**_

The morning sun blazed through the open window without mercy.

Eli also felt the hangover with the same ruthlessness. He opened his eyes and instantly regretted it. It felt like his heart was throbbing inside of his skull. Had he really forgotten to drink a few glasses of water before going to sleep? He had done something wrong last night. He hadn't had a hangover in almost three years.

What had distracted him?

Stretching his body, he felt his leg brush against another leg.

That wasn't his.

His eyes widened as he finally remembered what had happened last night. He... and Clare...

"Oh, shit!"

He stood up abruptly and that had woken the sleeping Clare, who sat up as quickly as she could, looking over at Eli, the fact not yet dawning on her. "What's wrong?" She asked, lips pulling into a frown. "Are you okay?"

His first thought should have been that he had made love with the person who had ever owned his heart. His second thought should have been happiness. None of those were his thoughts. His heart had fallen to his feet. His mind was only repeating one thing. One thought.

_I slept with a married woman. _

"Eli?" Clare asked, her voice full of concern. "Are you all right? Are you going to throw up?"

_I just might. _Eli thought to himself glumly. He turned away from Clare; unable to focus when she was within eyesight. This obviously distressed her. She threw her shirt on real quick and rubbed his back slowly, as if to coax the bile from his throat out. "What's wrong, Eli." Clare said softly. Her voice was as gentle as he remembered it being. He noticed that she hadn't phrased it as a question. She wanted to know what was going through his head. He shouldn't keep it from her.

"_Clare... You weren't drunk last night.." Eli said, turning slowly to meet her eyes. "Do you know what we did?"_

A gentle smile answered him. "Yes. We made love. I have no regrets." Before he could respond, her smile faded; replaced by a frown. "Do you have any regrets?"

_We made love. _She made it sound sound right. As if he hadn't helped her commit adultery. If Jake ever found out what she did with him, he would probably kill her. And then probably try to kill him. Shaking his head, he finally answered, "No. I don't have any regrets."

"Good." She gave him a quick peck on the lips. "I'll make you some breakfast before I go back home."

He gently grabbed her arm. "Jake is going to know, isn't he? What did you tell him you were doing?"

"_I told him I was going to a friend's house until he calmed down." She said matter of factually. "And that I would be unavailable once at said friend's house." She giggled. "Now, if you would excuse me. I have some breakfast to make."_

He let go of her arm. He watched as she basically skipped to the kitchen, which left him to go get washed up and try to get rid of this hangover. As he passed his bed, he caught sight of Clare's turned off phone. Risking a glance into the kitchen, she was busy getting everything ready. He took it into the bathroom with him. Turning on the shower, he turned the phone on and waited for the missed calls and texts to come.

_Sixteen missed calls._

_24 unopened texts._

He clicked on voice mail. There was a few of them but he only wanted to listen to the last one he had sent. He instantly regretted it.

"_Thought you were a smart little slut, didn't you? You weren't at your friends. I checked over there. She said you might have gone to see an old friend that was in town. It didn't make sense until I saw a name I knew would cause you to go running. Eli's in town, eh? I'll see you in the morning. Wife._"

Eli shut the shower off immediately. He shut Clare's phone off and departed the bathroom, moving slowly as if one wrong glace might set off a bomb. "Clare?" Eli called out. "Clare, we have a problem." He hears her mumble something from the kitchen and heard her leave her duties there to come see what the problem was.

She rounded the corner when the first knock rang out.

"_CLARE MARTIN!_" The voice of Jake Martin roared. "_I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE_!"


	4. Chapter 4

_**Chapter Four**_

This was it.

Everything that he had accomplished. All his novels. His popularity. Everything that he had done in the past few years. It boiled down to this moment. An irate, abusive husband. Knocking on the door of his apartment, looking for the wife that had just cheated on him.

The wife that he was still in love with.

If there was anything that he could remember about last night, that was the one thing that both his head and his heart told him. The years apart had not dulled his feelings for Clare Edwards. His past thoughts of Clare being a cheater slowly evaporated. She was not happy with Jake Martin and didn't have the strength or the courage to leave him. She needed a hero. Like the one he had created off of her.

"Call the police." Eli ordered quietly. Clare's eyes widened and she opened her mouth like she was about to protest. "Now is not the time to question things, Clare." He said, grabbing a white button down shirt. "Here." He said, putting it on and holding her phone out. "Now go into the bedroom and hide until they arrive."

She stood rooted to the ground. Her bottom lip trembled and fresh tears spilled from her eyes down her bruise. She looked down at the phone and back up. "Eli..."

He forced a smile. "I love you, Clare. I did back then." He looked away as she began to sob. "And I still do now."

She finally moved, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing his lips gently. "I love you too, Eli..."

She managed to get out of sight just as the door crashed open.

"Goldsworthy." A much older Jake Martin sneered. He walked past the threshold and over the fallen door. "Ya know. I knew you were crazy back in school. But I never took you for a man who would be stupid enough to have sex with a married woman."

_Neither did I. _Eli thought to himself as he took two steps forward. He needed to keep Jake away from Clare long enough for the police to arrive. "I'll make sure you buy me a new door."

"Where is the cheating slut?" Jake persisted, taking yet another step forward. "Come on out, Clare. I'm not going to hurt Eli here."

Eli cast a glace over his shoulder to make sure that Clare wasn't coming out. When she didn't show up, he looked back at Jake.

He didn't even see it coming.

Jake's fist connected with his lower jaw and sent him downwards. As he collapsed to the ground, he thought that he might have bitten his tongue. Or shattered a few teeth.

The blood that he tasted confirmed something was hurt.

When his vision cleared, he looked up. Doing his best not to let Jake see the blood. But Jake wasn't going to land anymore punches. He had reached behind him and had pulled the gun out from his jeans.

_I'm going to die. _Eli thought to himself. Jake had finally been snapped and he was going to kill him. He didn't want to think what he would do to Clare if he got his hands on her. She would surely wish she had died with him today. Jake was manic enough to do that.

"Come out, you little slut." Jake ordered, his voice complete ice. "Or I'll come in there myself."

"Okay, okay." Clare sobbed from the bedroom. "Just please... stop."

Eli was going to protest her exit. He knew that she was afraid for _his _safety. He should have explained that if he died protecting her, it would have been worth it. _He _was trying to protect _her_. She shouldn't jeopardize what he was trying to do.

Over time, the sound of Jake's stern voice had always brought Clare whimpering to him. Like a trained dog.

He felt his fists tighten just as a trembling Clare finally exited the bedroom. She kept her head lowered as she made her way into the living room. As soon as she saw Eli on the floor, she sprinted towards him.

That was a mistake.

She was met with an awful sounding backhand. There was a disgusting sounding _crunch _and Eli was pretty sure that he had just broken Clare's nose. She crumpled to the floor away from Jake and away from him. Eli got onto his knees as Jake whirled to him, holding the gun out in front of him.

"Move and she dies." He said, his voice a rasp. "Move and _you _die." His eyes narrowed. "Understand?"

Eli nodded. He couldn't find his voice. Or even if he could, he couldn't trust it not to break. So he watched as he turned his back on him and stood over Clare like an animal proud of the kill it had just made. Hungry for the dinner it had just caught.

This was it. He was only going to have a few valuable seconds before Jake would catch on and turn around and shoot him. Only a few seconds to see if he could knock the gun out of Jake's hand.

Only a few seconds to die a hero's death.

It was now or never.

He stood up and lunged at Jake...

Just as Jake spun around...

The last thing he heard before total blackness consumed him...

was the sound of a gun firing.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Chapter Five**_

There was a moment, just a moment, when Jake Martin finally registered that he had heard two gunshots. He knew that he had pulled the trigger on Eli Goldsworthy. The man was bipolar and was going to kill him. The police would easily believe a clean, easy story like that. Clare wouldn't dare speak up against him. Eli's death would be ruled as self-defense and he and Clare could go back to their lives without worry. She would never cheat on him again.

His chest suddenly gushed with warm liquid and he looked down.

His white shirt was turning crimson.

"What the hell?" He muttered, covering the wound. He applied as much pressure as his weakening body could, turning around to Clare.

She stood behind him, a smoking gun in her hands. She wasn't shaking as he expected she would be. She was firm and resolute. Staring into her irate eyes, he finally got it. Just as he had pulled the trigger on Eli, she had shot him; square in the back.

"You... you son of a bitch!" He took a step towards her and tumbled to the floor. The corners of his vision began to fill with black. He could feel the black, tempting him. Telling him that with this abstract, there was no pain. No hole in his back where his wife had shot him. No betrayal. No Elijah Goldsworthy. A place free of pain.

"Eli!" Clare cried and stepped over his body. He couldn't hear if Eli was alive or not. He could only hear Clare's sobs. Even those sounded like they were coming from across a great distance. Everything seemed to be fading away. He tried to fight it. He tried to say that he loved Clare one last time.

But her name was caught in his final breath.

* * *

><p>As the darkness receded, Eli was met with a brand of pain that he was not familiar with. It was heavy. It felt warm. And someone was applying pressure to his chest. That's what managed to bring him back from swimming in the depths of black. That pressure. And as his eyes slowly opened, he was looking into the beautiful blue eyes of the angel he had met so long ago.<p>

"Clare?" He asked weakly. "Am I... dead?"

Despite busying herself with cleaning and applying pressure, she chuckled. "No, you're not." She sighed. "But Jake did shoot you. The police have called an ambulance."

As she mentioned his name, Eli's thoughts turned briefly to the other man. "Where is Jake? Under arrest?" He asked, scanning his apartment as best he could.

Clare continued to apply pressure and by her expression, Eli had a feeling something happened. "I shot him." She explained after a moment. "As soon as I saw him pull the trigger, I pulled my gun out. I had thought he killed you." Her voice broke and she continued her work in silence.

As Eli put his head back, his thoughts seemed to be everywhere. How had this happened? He was just supposed to have signed some books and have been on his way. Clare entered the picture and everything suddenly turned out to be something he would have worked out in one of his books.

Clare had proved herself to be the hero he always knew she could be.

"I was right, you know." Eli whispered softly.

"Right about what?"

"You are the hero." Eli said and opened his eyes to look into hers.

Her eyes glistened and her bottom lip trembled. "You made Clara the hero.."

"That's because she _is _the hero." He finished and smiled, despite the pain.

Clare leaned over and pressed her lips to his in a soft kiss. "I love you, Eli."

His pained smile broadened as their lips met. "I love you too, Clare.."

Shortly thereafter, the medics arrived with the stretcher. They placed him gingerly on it.

Clare rode all the way to the hospital with him.


	6. Chapter 6

_**Chapter Six**_

As the pain finally subsided, Eli felt rested enough to open his eyes. With an effort, he opened them slowly; the white, sterile environment blinded him for a moment. He blinked a few times and the hospital finally came into a blurred view. He looked to his side, expecting to see Clare waiting for him. She wasn't there. "Clare?" Eli croaked. He looked to the other side, his heart sinking. Again, she wasn't there. Where could she have gone? _She wouldn't have left me here. _He told himself. _Her husband shot me. Maybe she's having breakfast or whatever. _"Or maybe she's under arrest!" He exclaimed suddenly as the thought struck him. Of course they'd arrest her. No matter how much of self-defense it was, Clare was going to face criminal charges.

"Excuse me." Eli said, leaning forward as a nurse walked by, She stopped and gave him an encouragingly polite smile. "Was there a woman here with me? Did she stay? Or did she say where she was going?"

"You mean the woman that shot her husband?" The nurse inquired. Her features were dangerously still and Eli began to fret. He had no idea how long he was out. Nor did he know how the media might have spun the story to make it sound like Clare was a cold-blooded killer. He might very well be in hostile territory right now.

"She saved my life." Eli replied cautiously. "I don't know what you might have heard, but she saved my life. That man was going to shoot me dead."

The nurse remained quietly still for a moment. She glanced over her shoulder at another passing nurse, offering a half-hearted smile and greeting until the other nurse passed. When she was out of earshot, she leaned in closer. "She was here. There was a small media storm here upon your arrival. Both the police and Mrs. Martin tried to go to a secluded area to discuss immediate details but the media had it's own theories."

_One of which was bound to be right, given the evidence. _He thought to himself glumly. Husband finds wife in another man's house; husband's shot dead. The pistol in the hands of the wife. The other man is shot but survives. Cheating wife and other man get to live happily ever after. _Not even I could write an ending like that. _He shook his head. The media had run with the story. Eli was sure that he had more than a few irate publishers and editors to talk to and explain this mess. "Is she with the police now?" Eli asked, returning his attention back towards the patient nurse.

"They've released her into house arrest until the investigation and possible charges are released." The nurse said informatively. "Will that be all, Mr. Goldsworthy?"

"Am I able to leave?" He asked uncertainly. He still had no idea how long he'd been here. What they'd done to keep him alive. The last thing he remembered was seeing Clare's face as the blackness claimed him. He had woken up with more questions than answers.

The nurse had reached down to pick up the clipboard at the end of the bed. "The doctor's gave you the okay to go back home two hours ago. You've been officially discharged." She scribbled something onto the form and gave him another polite smile before departing. Eli smiled faintly in return but the nurse was already long gone. He could go home. _Home to the sight of a murder. _He sighed mentally. He would probably have to move. Get away from the media. Get away from the rumors. The incessant questions that were bound to follow in the years to come. No matter how much he should be home recovering, that's not where he wanted to be. He wanted to be with Clare. To comfort her. To thank her for saving his life. For being the hero that he always knew she was. There was just one small problem.

He had no idea where she lived.

She had been so desperate to not talk about Jake that she had never mentioned where she lived. She had obviously lived nearby. It hadn't taken her too long to get to his place. That didn't narrow the choices down, as he would've liked. He should have asked the nurse if Clare had left anything for him when he woke up. _Don't you think the nurse would've given it to you if she had? _He retorted to himself. _Maybe she forgot? _"Wishful thinking.." He murmured to himself. He stood up slowly, testing his balance to make sure he was okay to walk. He was a little wobbly but he was sure with some time spent walking, he'd be fine. Just a few concerned glances from his fellow pedestrians. Nothing he couldn't handle.

Despite a few near mishaps, he managed to get to his apartment. The police had finished up there and they did, Eli had to admit, a very good job of making it look like no one had been murdered there. He tried to banish the thought of Jake Martin's ended life as he put the key in and turned the knob. As he entered, the police had managed to leave it almost exactly the way he had left it. _Impressive. _He mused to himself. He closed his eyes and forced himself to concentrate. _Where could Clare have possibly left anything about where she lived? _He opened his eyes and began to scan the apartment. He made a left into the kitchen, looking where she must have been when Jake had arrived.

"There wouldn't be anything here..." He whispered. She hadn't been in here long enough to leave anything behind. Plain and simple. The bedroom was the only place that she would've possibly left something. Knowing it was his only option; he made his way slowly into his bedroom, looking for something that could be out of place. As far as he could see, nothing was disturbed. Everything was how he had it prior to the incident with Jake. She obviously either hid it very well. Or there was nothing for him. She didn't want to be found after having to murder her own husband to save another man's wife.

_But she was unhappy and abused. Perhaps you did her a favor. _He tried to reason. Clare was indeed unhappy. She was being forced to be kept in a marriage that she wasn't happy in. This could be a new start for her life. She could start again. She could have a real chance at real happiness. _And I don't need to be apart.. _Before he could finish that thought, his phone vibrated and dashed any remaining thoughts. He fumbled around for it. His heart stopped. It was from Clare. Unable to contain his rising excitement, he hit open.

_Eli... I... I think I'm... pregnant. Can you please come and see me?_


	7. Chapter 7

_**Chapter Seven**_

"It's not mine." Eli murmured to himself. He continued to stare at his phone for the longest time, unable to wrap his mind around the full meaning of the text. "Pregnant.." Eli repeated to himself. He closed his eyes, trying to remember. He was the last person that Clare had sex with. Of course he'd been drunk when they had it, but Clare wouldn't have been so reckless as to not have reminded him to wear a condom. She'd always been the responsible one. Therefore, there was no chance that she'd have unprotected sex. Eli just knew it.

Or did he?

It came back to him slowly:

_His hands were rummaging through his drawer. Normally, there was a box of condoms fully ready to use in case of emergency sex. That didn't happen often, but he was always safe rather than sorry. _

_This time, though, they weren't there. They were gone. The entire box._

_He began to panic. Clare was already ready for him, and he couldn't find his damn condoms._

"_Don't have any?" Her voice emerged from near his ear. He barely managed a nod as he felt her hand trail down his back. Upon his nod, she merely whispered: "That's okay.."_

His eyes snapped open. They hadn't used condoms. Clare had _approved _of the idea! In his drunken state, who was he to deny the woman he loved for so long a night of passion? His hands came to his face and he trailed them down his face slowly. How could he have been so stupid? That damn alcohol had impaired his judgment. Temptation by Clare was something he couldn't resist. Despite being a married woman, and him being drunk, he had still done it.

Now she was pregnant. Possibly by him. Or possibly by Jake.

He shuddered at the thought. If Jake was the father, Clare's already broken heart would only become worse at having to carry the child of the husband she had been forced to kill.

"What am I going to do?" He asked himself. He couldn't think. His heart clenched at the fear of the possibility that he was the father. He couldn't be. He wasn't ready to be a father. He wasn't even prepared for the storm that being involved in a murder would bring. Let alone the possibility of being a father. This was all a mess.

How had it gone from a book signing to all of this?

His thoughts were interrupted by his cell phone, which had begun to ring.

_Incoming Call: Clare_

"Great.." Eli muttered to himself, and hit accept. "Hello?"

"_Where are you!_" Clare's voice cried as soon as he put the phone to his ear. "_Did you not get my text!_"

"Of course I got your text." Eli replied calmly, trying to ignore the fact that it was just now hitting Clare that she was pregnant, and who the father might be. "I've been trying to remember where you say you live. I don't know where to find you, and I know you gave me your address.."

There was a silence before she said, "_I-I'm sorry. I'm just a mess right now, and this is the last thing I need. This is the last thing I ever wanted from him. I tried so hard, for so long.._"

Eli was almost afraid to ask, but he did anyway. "Tried what, Clare?" He asked softly, sympathetically.

"_He's been trying to get me pregnant for YEARS, Eli.. He even sunk so low as to cancel my birth control, hide them, throw them out. He tried everything, and I always managed to get them back and take them just in time." _She paused for a moment, and Eli thought she was choking on another sob. When she finally spoke again, his heart sank to his feet. "_It can't be his. It just can't be._"

"How can you be sure?" was all Eli could say. His voice had lowered to a whisper. "When was the last time you had sex with him?"

"_You were the last person I had sex with, Eli. Jake and I hadn't had it in almost two months._"

His heart dropped. _That still doesn't mean anything. _"But when was the last time you had sex with _him_?" He repeated. "Clare, you could have been pregnant for two months and not even _know _about it."

There was a very long paused and Eli feared the call might've been dropped. "Clare?" He asked, worried.

"_You don't want to be the father, do you_?" She said at last. "_You regret having sex with me._"

She was only right about half of that. "Clare." He said slowly. "I don't regret having sex with you. I did have a little to drink, and I didn't have any condoms. You said you were safe. You said it was okay!"

There was another long pause, and Eli was pretty sure that Clare was smothering her sobs. "_I've got to go._" She said as calmly as she could. And with a click, she hung up.

Not being able to contain his frustration, Eli hefted his phone and threw it at the wall.

"Damn it!" He growled.


	8. Chapter 8

**_Chapter Eight_**

Her life was in complete shambles.

What had been planned as an innocent book signing had spiraled completely out of control. Her husband was dead, shot by his wife. She was pregnant with another man's child. _A man who doesn't want this child. _She thought to herself bitterly. She held onto that resentment because otherwise, she'd want to cry. The last thing she needed was tears; they didn't solve anything.

After giving Eli the benefit of the doubt and a few minutes to calm himself down and think about what she'd said, she dialed his number again.

He didn't pick up.

The number went straight to voice mail, which meant that his phone was off. She frowned. Was he really that upset with her that he would resort to childish tactic to ignore her? Tears welled in her eyes as she typed out a vicious text to send to him, but decided not to send it. That would've been childish of her to do, to lash out at Eli. She was the one who brought all this on him.

Even the unprotected sex was her idea. She not only could've killed him; she could have given him something that would eventually kill him. She closed her eyes as two tears spilled from her eyes onto her cheeks.

If Eli wanted to be left alone, that's the least she could do for him.

No matter how much it pained her to do so.

Taking a deep breath, dabbing her leaky eyes with her sleeve, Clare sat the phone down and stood up. She'd moped long enough. She was going to stop crying and start piecing her life back together bit by bit. There was just one last detail about Jake Martin that she had to deal with before she could move on and focus on the future.

Her mother and now ex-husband, Glen Martin.

She had to face them.

_Could they handle the stories of abuse? Could they accept that Jake wasn't nearly as perfect as they thought he was? Or will their heart only break more, knowing that their at one time daughter killed him in self-defense? Would they even believe that he had tried to kill Eli? _Clare's stomach turned. Her hand fell to her stomach instinctively. "Will they even be willing to listen to me?" She whispered to herself. Her vision began to swim, and she shook her head.

There was only one way to find out. She had to go home. She had to go to her mother, and see the look on her face. She needed to see forgiveness or condemnation. She just needed to know.

She reached for her pocketbook and keys, but stopped herself. How could she have possibly forgotten? She was under house arrest. She wasn't going anywhere. That meant she'd have to call, and see if she would come over and see her.

She groaned. Couldn't she just fall asleep and awake from this nightmare that was now her life?

It didn't seem that way as her phone began to ring, snapping her back to reality. She walked back over to it and noticed it was her mother who was calling.

_How delightfully ironic. _She said to herself, scowling. Taking one last deep breath, she hit accept. "Hey, Mom."

"Clare.." Her mother said. She sounded more than upset, like she'd been crying as well. "Honey, I can't talk long. I just.. Glen just called me. He told me what he heard on the news. I'm... I can't even.." Clare couldn't hear very well, but she suspected that her mother was now crying.

"Mom, what's wrong? What did Glen want?"

"I'm sorry," Her mother sobbed into the phone, "But he just called me to tell me that he's going to press charges. His son deserves some justice, he said. He wants to make sure you rot in jail." Her mother paused for a moment, and even sounded calm. "Clare, you need to get yourself a lawyer. Fast."

Before she could articulate a reply to that, her mother murmured a goodbye and hung up. Leaving Clare with uncontrollable tears. A lawyer? Jail? Charges? A child?

Her life was over. Why couldn't it just leave her alone, just for a little while? Just long enough to drift off into a deep sleep that she hoped never to wake up from.

As she slumped into the couch, she closed her eyes for just a moment. The tears she had spilled trailed down her cheek and onto her neck. So much had gone wrong, and despite being pregnant, she still felt that her future was bleak. She'd never gone to court before. She was afraid that she would be found guilty and never sees the light of day again. Could she even find a lawyer good enough to convince a jury of her peers that her actions were in self-defense of another human being? A police officer, no less?

She highly doubted it.

Just as she felt herself begin to drift off to sleep, she heard a knock at the front door. Her eyes quickly opened, and she rubbed them. Was this her mother? Had she come to explain everything to her? Explain why she had ended the call like she did? Perhaps suggest a few lawyers that she knows? Clare stood up and made her way to the door, opening it slowly and expected to see her mother.

Bit it was Eli. He looked almost out of breath.

"Do you know," He said, lips drawing upward into a smile, "How hard it was to figure out where you live?"

She wanted to melt. Finally, he was here. She wasn't alone. She had Eli, and everything was going to be okay. "Oh, Eli!" She exclaimed, throwing her arms around him. She let the sobs that she had been holding in for so long spill outwards, and it felt good.

"I'm sorry." He whispered into her ear. "I was just surprised. I thought that it would have been Jake that was the father."

Despite her sobs, she told him that it was all right. She forgave him his shock, and pulled him inside.

There was so much she needed to tell him.


	9. Chapter 9

**_Chapter Nine_**

When she had finally finished telling Eli everything that had transpired, she felt relieved. It was no longer a burden that she had to carry all alone. Eli was going to help her. He was a popular author; he had to know some lawyers that would be more than happy to help defend her in court.

If only Eli looked as relieved as she.

Rather, he seemed tense, pensive. As if waiting for more bad news to spill from her lips. She pressed them into a thin line to let him know that she had nothing more to add. That was everything. Every last brutal detail.

At length he leaned forward, covering his face with his hands. She was worried that he was about to sob, but he didn't. She sat there, hands clasped in her lap, waiting for Eli to speak. She was doing her best to be patient with him. She needn't press him, but the silence was killing her. Was he trying to contain his anger at her? _Was _he angry with her? What was he feeling right now? She needed to know what he was thinking. How he was feeling. It was killing her.

"Eli?" She asked cautiously. "Are you okay?"

To her surprise, he nodded. "I'm just trying to process it all." He said, his voice soft and gentle. "I never thought they'd bring you to court. That's.. That's harsh."

Clare nodded, new tears threatening to spill. "I see now where Jake got his aggression from." She said and her voice almost broke. She stayed quiet for a moment, and she dared to ask. "Eli, I know I've brought all this into your life. All this chaos. My mom told me that I needed to get a lawyer. I don't know a single one. D-Do you?" When he didn't respond right away she figured this would persuade him. "If you do know one that would be willing to defend me, I'll leave your life once it's over. I'll raise this child on my own. You won't have to worry about anymore trouble."

There was more silence, but Eli finally began to laugh. "That's not what I want at all, Clare." He said and her heart lifted, hearing her name from his lips again. Her hopes were instantly raised. "I want to be the father." He continued slowly. "I want this to work." She was confused as what he meant about that, but before she could ask about it, his head snapped up. "A friend of mine, another author, had this major court case a few months back. He called a law office and got a lawyer by the name of Declan. My friend won his case pretty easily, and he spoke very highly of Declan. Top-notch lawyer, graduate of Yale. Or Harvard, I can't exactly remember."

As Eli continued talking about this lawyer, Clare's mind drifted into the past. _Declan? _She repeated to herself. The name sounded so familiar.

And then it hit her.

"_Did you just kiss me neck?_"

"Declan? Declan _Coyne?_" Clare blurted out. "Fiona's brother?"

Eli blinked slowly, dumbfounded. Clare instantly felt her cheeks burning with embarrassment. Eli had never known Declan. He arrived at Degrassi a year later well after Declan had gone off to another school. Clare was surprised that Fiona never told Eli about Declan. They were twins, after all.

_A lot of time has passed since then, too. _Clare reminded herself. She blinked a few times, taking a deep breath. "Is that who it is?" She asked after a moment.

"I think so." Eli said, still in shock. "I knew the name sounded familiar. I was just too preoccupied." He shook his head. "So you knew both Declan and Fiona?" Eli asked, eyebrow raised curiously.

Clare nodded, recalling memories that seemed like a lifetime ago. "Declan directed the play prior to Fiona. I guess since they were siblings, the passion for drama ran in the family." Clare bit her bottom lip, wondering if she should tell the man about her crush on him. Knowing that keeping it from him wouldn't help, she sighed. "I had a crush on him. As a girl, it was hard not to. He was extremely good looking." She looked over at Eli. "Just as you are."

Eli smiled, albeit faintly. "But that doesn't explain how you knew him."

"I was in charge of the props for the play." She said, looking away and smiling. "He even asked me to read a few lines with him."

Noticing that Clare was losing herself in memory lane, Eli placed a hand on her shoulder to bring her back from her reverie. "Well, that's nice and all, but do you think he would help you if you asked?"

She shrugged helplessly. "I haven't see him since he left Degrassi. I doubt he even remembers who I am."

That caused Eli to frown. She can't be down on herself now. There was some hope that Declan would be able to represent her in court. "There's only one way to find out." Eli said, standing up and pulling out his phone. "I'm going to call my friend, see if he has the number to the law firm. If he does, would you like me to see if I can arrange a consultation with Declan?"

Clare looked up, nodding mutely.

Eli leaned down and pressed his lips to hers in an all too brief kiss, before turning on his heel and entering the other room. She vaguely heard Eli speaking, but her mind was wandering freely. Declan Coyne? A lawyer? Her only glimmer of hope in an impending legal battle? She closed her eyes and prayed silently that Declan would come to her aid. She loved Eli and appreciated his support through this, but what she needed was a lawyer. Just as her mother said.

A couple of minutes later, Eli returned from the other room. His face was completely blank of emotion and her heart sunk. Declan didn't remember her. Worse, he'd turn them down because he was too busy.

"Declan has agreed to see us." Eli said, breaking out into a smile. "We have a consultation tomorrow at ten."

Clare closed her eyes and wept happily.

_Thank God. Thank you, God. _


	10. Chapter 10

_**Chapter Ten**_

_**This chapter is a little bit of a sidetrack, but it'll be worth it, I promise. **_

He had arrived in Toronto shortly after hearing about Jake's death. He had wanted to be here for the funeral, but there was too much press around it after they learned that the esteemed author Eli Goldsworthy had been added to the mix.

The last thing he needed was press. He had enough of that for one lifetime.

He knew that when he arrived to see his Uncle, he wouldn't be too happy to see him. He was the side of the family that people liked not to talk about. The family member they like to pretend didn't exist.

He did exist.

And now he was going to make sure that they would never forget his name ever again.

He approached the door to his Uncle Glen's house cautiously. He was almost afraid that they'd set some kind of trap for him, but he knew that was just paranoia speaking. He'd been in jail too long not to feel suspicious about anything and everything.

He banged on the door three times.

Glen answered the door, an angry retort just about to muttered before he glanced upwards and his jaw dropped slightly.

"Hello, Uncle."

"_Kyle_? You're... I thought you were in jail?"

Kyle Martin's lips curled into a smirk. "Released on good behavior."

Glen gulped. He was clearly nervous, and not at all pleased to see him.

"I'm here to talk about Jake." Kyle stated, breaking the small silence. "I heard that Clare had something to do with his death. May I come in?"

Before Glen could give him permission to enter the home, he barged passed him into the living room. He was bigger than Glen was and the older man wouldn't dare fight someone nearly twice his size. Glen merely closed the door and followed him into the living room.

"She had an affair." Glen began as he lowered himself onto the couch. "Jake found out about it and as he lunged for the other man, Clare shot him." Glen closed his eyes for a moment, his son's death a still fresh wound.

"They said he had a gun." Kyle said, sitting in the chair opposite. "Did he plan on killing the other guy?"

"Clare claims he did. That's why she shot him."

Kyle let this silence stretch out longer than the previous one before barely snarling, "My cousin deserves justice."

Glen looked up, blinking. "Clare.. She must have had some reason for doing this, Kyle. I don't blame her. I mean, I'd like to, but it can't be changed."

Kyle's eye narrowed. "You're going to press charges against her."

Glen shook his head; not realizing that what Kyle said wasn't a question. "No. She's had enough bad press. They're already comparing this to one of Goldsworthy's novels."

Kyle shook his head, slamming his fist on the coffee table. "_IT WAS NOT A QUESTION!_"

Glen jumped nervously. "Kyle, c-calm down. Let's talk about this."

"There's nothing to talk about." Kyle snarled, standing up. "That bitch needs to be brought to justice for what she did to my cousin. To my _best friend_. He was the best man at my wedding. I was the best man at his. He deserves more than to be just shot and forgotten while Clare gets away scotch free. Jake wouldn't want that."

"Jake also had anger problems!" Glen spat angrily. "Clare has evidence of _years _of abuse! Bringing her to court would be useless, Kyle!"

"She deserved it." Kyle said vehemently. "She gave him nothing but hell!"

The moment that Kyle had said she deserved it; Glen shook his head. "No one deserves that, Kyle. I don't care what you did." He reached for the phone. "Now please, Kyle. Leave. Before I have to call the police."

_Click. _

Glen turned and realized he was staring down the muzzle of a gun.

"You are going to press charges against Clare." Kyle snapped. "Or I'll blow your brain all over your own wall."

Glen raised his hands in surrender, nodding once. "Okay, Kyle. Okay."

Kyle's expression relaxed, but the gun remained trained on Glen. "Call Helen. Now. Tell her to warn Clare."

Glen slowly picked up the phone. "Warn her to do what?" He asked, dialing the number just as slowly as he had picked it up.

"Tell her that you're planning on pressing charges and that she should get herself a lawyer as soon as possible."

Glen nodding and hit dial. Content that the older man wasn't going to call the police, Kyle retreated back to the chair he had been sitting at but kept the gun still trained on Glen. Once the call was finished, Glen placed the phone down. "She's calling Clare right now. She's quite upset that I'm doing this. She said it wasn't like me to do this."

"Where's the evidence that you mentioned earlier?" Kyle asked, ignoring the nervous ramble.

"I-I don't know." Glen stuttered. "I'm sure it's with Clare somewhere."

"Why do you know about it? How do you know about it?"

Glen thought for a moment. Should he lie? Could he protect Clare that way? She had, at one time, been his stepdaughter. He cared about her. Not as much as his son, of course, but his son was in need of protecting.

_Lying to man with a gun is always a bad idea. _

Fearing he might grow impatient, Glen finally spoke. "She called me one night after a rather bad beating. She said she didn't know who else to call that might be able to do something. Or she was trying to blackmail me, I can't tell. I listened to her story on how Jake nearly beat her to death and that she'd been taking pictures of it for a long time. He'd go to jail for certain if these photos got out. It would completely ruin his reputation and he would lose his job if he didn't keep his temper under control. She asked me for help. She asked me to talk to him about it, and I did. I saw that his knuckles were skinned very badly and told him that he needed to stop and think about his career. It worked, albeit for a short time."

Kyle nodded slowly, absorbing the details. "So you knew he was beating her and didn't say anything?"

Glen nodded once, eyes downcast. His eyes looked watery.

"I'm going to pay Helen a vist." Kyle explained as he got up and made his way for the door. "Perhaps she knows where Clare hid that evidence."

"W-What do you plan on doing?" Glen asked, hoping to stall him. "I've got to hire a lawyer and..and.."

Kyle glanced over his shoulders. "You keep working on that."

He opened the door and slammed it shut.


	11. Chapter 11

**_Chapter Eleven_**

Despite having a restless night sleep, Eli was surprised to see Clare humming quietly in the kitchen of her home when he awoke. Her spirits were high, and that was a good thing. Eli didn't quite know the effect this Declan Coyne had had on Clare's life, but it was clearly showing now.

"What's for breakfast?" Eli asked conversationally, sitting down at the kitchen table.

"Just some eggs and a little bacon." She hummed in reply.

"You're in the best mood I've seen you in since well..." The sentence trailed off. She hadn't been happy when she first saw him. She was glad, sure, but not happy. She was pleasant the morning after, but that was before Jake showed up and nearly killed him.

Eli had to admit he hadn't see her this happy since they were in high school.

Clare flashed him a smile over her shoulder before turning back and stirring the eggs some more. "In a long time, I know." She began humming again, undeterred.

Eli smiled. Although he was still not a religious man, he suspected that Clare must have had a conversation with her Lord last night while he was asleep. It obviously put her in a better frame of mind and he wasn't going to do anything to ruin that for her. Anything he said might shatter this peace that she's found in the aftermath of all this. He didn't want to be responsible for that, too.

He was already responsible for so much.

When Clare was finally finished with breakfast, he decided he needed to know how she had managed to reverse her spirits. He himself was still feeling guilty about the whole mess, but here she was as happy as he'd ever seen her. So, around a mouthful of eggs, he asked: "What's made you so happy?"

Clare blinked innocently a few times, and then giggled. "Our child, naturally."

Eli managed to keep his face expressionless, although he'd almost completely forgotten that she was pregnant. How could he forget that?

"Do you feel anything yet?" Eli asked curiously. Perhaps that's what she was feeling so happy.

"Nothing, yet." She said, her grin widening. "But I know he's in there."

The finished the rest of the breakfast in relative silence. It was a comfortable silence; Eli had to admit. When Clare stood up and took both their dishes to the sink, Eli glanced at the clock.

"Go get ready and I'll do that." He offered.

Clare turned around, thinking he was joking, but saw the serious expression and nodded. Her smile had only wavered a little bit, but it was back. "Okay. I won't be long."

She gave him a quick peck on the lips as he approached the sink and she almost skipped away. Eli chuckled, shaking his head. Her good mood might start to rub off on him. One of them needed to be focused for the consultation. Who knew what Declan could be able to do? If anything?

He cleaned the dishes with ease and Clare returned about five minutes later. She was dressed in a light, breezy summer dress. "Do you think this is appropriate?" She asked, glancing at him.

"It's just a consultation." Eli said softly. "I'm sure that's just fine."

"But it's Declan." She said, her features softening to a level he hadn't see before. "He's agreed to see me; to hear my case. To see if there's anything he can do."

Eli was tempted to remind her that the was agreeing to see them just to see if he thinks there is anything he could do. If there is in fact _nothing _he could do, they would have to look elsewhere for help.

But Eli couldn't say that to her now. Not when her hopes were basically soaring and her mood the best he's ever seen it. He couldn't remind her of reality. He wouldn't be the one to bring her down. He would leave that to Declan. That was his job, after all.

"Do you want me to drive?" Eli asked as Clare was once again scrutinizing her appearance in the mirror.

"Sure." She replied, holding out her keys over her shoulder. Eli took them and gave her back a gentle rub, kissing the back of her neck. "You look beautiful." He whispered against her warm skin. She smiled; knowing this was her cue to stop wasting anymore time.

"All right." She said, giving herself one last nod. "Let's go."

* * *

><p>"Get the hell away from me!"<p>

Kyle smirked, standing on the threshold of the door he had just unhinged with a single thrust of his shoulder. He pretending that her being unhappy to see him upset him. "Aunt Helen. Why are you so upset? I just wanted to see how my favorite aunt is doing."

Helen, whom he had accidentally hit with the door as he burst through it, lay on the floor. There was blood trickling from a wound on her forehead. "Stay away from me!" She cried, trying to pull herself away.

Kyle entered the house. "I just wanted to ask you a question." He said, walking over to her. "Just one simple question. Maybe ten minutes of your time. Was that too much to ask?"

He glanced at her face for the first time and could see the terror in her eyes.

"Don't be afraid." He said comfortingly. "I just want to know where Clare kept the evidence she had on Jake. That's all."

Kyle had predicted this, and Helen did exactly what he thought she would.

She played dumb.

"I-I have no idea what you're talking about." She said, forcing herself to look into his eyes.

"Almost believable." Kyle sneered. He reached behind him and pulled out the same gun that he had threatened Glen Martin with and held it to Helen's forehead. "Now, tell me where it it and you won't be hurt any further. I might even help you clean up and make it look like an accident."

Helen shuddered before breaking out into sobs. "I-I really don't know where it is! She would be the only one who would know!"

Kyle's grip on the gun tightened and he pressed the muzzle harder against her forehead. "Don't lie to me, Helen! Where is it!"

The only thing she could manage from the point on were incoherent sobs that quickly got on Kyle's nerves. He finally removed the gun from her forehead and stood up.

"Looks like I have one more place to visit." He mumbled to himself, turning on his heels and leaving Helen on the floor.

He was sure she would tell the police it was an accident.


	12. Chapter 12

**_Chapter Twelve_**

From the moment they'd entered Declan's office, Eli could see the old Clare again from his memory. She was smiling, radiant. She even flirted a little bit, but it didn't bother Eli. He clearly saw a wedding ring on Declan's finger, and it was apparent that he was happy. Clare was just trying to keep him comfortable and hopeful on taking the case. Getting him to remember the gold old day's back when they were at Degrassi. Eli kept pace with the conversation, but kept his distance. This _was _Clare's case, after all. Not his. He was just here for moral support.

"I still can't believe how good you look." Clare sighed finally, once she had run out of small talk. "You look like you haven't aged at all."

Declan smiled politely, holding out the case folder. "It's been fun catching up with you, Clare, but we still have some serious business to discuss."

Clare nodded eyes downcast. "Have you had time to look through the folder?"

"I have." Declan said, frowning slightly. "It's a very messy case. Well known author caught with a married woman, Husband of said wife shot dead in the author's apartment." Declan shot Eli a glance. "I'm sure you've been getting all sorts of hell for this."

Eli nodded silently. He had been getting repeat calls from his publisher, his editor, public relations, and all of that. None of which was good. He nodded again, dismissing those stressful phone calls. He needed to be in decent spirits, for Clare's sake.

"Is there anything you can do?" Clare asked, looking up from her hands that were clasped loosely, and nervously Eli noted, in her lap. "Everyone else said there was nothing that they could do."

"It said in one of the reports that you had documentation and proof of Jake Martin's abusive nature. That would give what you say some serious credibility if you could provide that for me."

Eli had almost forgotten about this box of evidence that Clare claimed to have. If she did in fact have it, she could put the nails in the coffin of this case faster than she ever dreamed possible. He glanced over at her, unsure if she was just making this up or not. Her hands unclasped and she beamed happily.

"I can send it to you as soon as you'd like."

Eli could see out of the corner of his eye Declan's features darkening. He was probably angry that Clare hadn't brought them along with her to the consultation. In order to save face with Mr. Coyne, Eli said, "Oh, shoot. You forgot them in the living room, didn't you?"

A moment of uncertainty swept over her features which a quick glance at Declan managed to halt. She nodded, even managing a small blush. "I'm sorry, Declan. We were in such a hurry. We forgot them."

The anger melted away, and he nodded. "Just bring them with you to the next consultation." He looked down, writing something onto a note before handing it out to Clare. "I expect to see you this Friday. We're going to start preparing for the case."

Clare's eyes instantly exploded with tears of joy and she sprung from her chair, wrapping her arms around Declan's neck. "Oh, thank God! Thank you! Thank you!"

Eli stood up, gently prying the ecstatic Clare off of Declan after a good two minutes of thanking God and thanking Declan. Eli held out his hand and Declan shook it. "Thank you." Eli said simply, and guided Clare out of the office and down the hall. She continued murmuring to herself until her cell phone began to ring. She pulled it out, frowning.

It was her mother calling.

"Hey, mom. What's up?"

"_Clare, honey, your house is on fire!_"


	13. Chapter 13

_**Chapter**** Thirteen**_

Eli, figuring that Clare would want privacy to talk to whoever was on the phone, took a few steps over to the side. The conversation didn't last long. He saw the color drain from Clare's ivory skin and she looked over at him like she had just heard from someone who was dead. Eli's heart fell; thinking that maybe Jake wasn't dead after all. Had he faked his own death just so he could continue his abuse against Clare? After a moment's thought, Eli denied that thought. If Jake Martin were in fact alive, his target would not be Clare. At least, not at first. It would be him.

The moment that Clare's bottom lip trembled; Eli was already by her side, wrapping his arms around her comfortingly. "What's wrong?" He whispered softly into her ear.

"My house... is on fire..." She replied, her voice barely a whisper.

Eli pulled away. "How... Why? We turned everything off."

"Does it matter?" Clare retorted angrily. "Everything I had against Jake was in that house. I'm guessing it was one of his buddies that wanted revenge. Well, they got it. Now I'm going to go to jail and there's nothing to stop, or even halt, the process."

"You don't know the extent of the damage, though." Eli reminded her, finding the strength to grab her hand and pull her with him into the hallway that would take them to the parking lot. Clare murmured some halfhearted protest, but Eli dragged her along.

After a moment, he began to run.

"Eli, what are you doing?" Clare said as she ran behind him. "Give it up! It's lost!"

"You don't _know _that!" Eli yelled over his shoulder. "You're giving up without even trying!"

Clare's pace slowed until she stopped altogether. Eli stopped, his lips curled into a scowl. Now was not the time for pregnancy hormones. It was not the time to sit down and think about everything that has happened. They still had some time. Clare didn't know the extent of the damage done by the fire. Who knew, it could've just been a small basement fire? His scowl eventually disappeared as Clare began to shake, and tears spilled onto her cheeks. He's been mean.

"Clare," He began softly, taking a step towards her. "I'm sorry."

"My entire life is ruined, Eli." She said between her sobs. "Do you know how messed up all of this is right now? This... this feels like a nightmare."

Eli took her hand. "I know, Clare. I know it's crazy. But it's the hand we've been dealt. Come on, your car is just over there." He gestured behind him. "It'll be over soon. Declan will win this case for us. Then, you can put all this behind you. You just need to stay strong for a little bit longer, okay? There will be time for tears later, but not until it's over."

"But what about the evidence?" Clare asked, wiping her eyes with her free hand.

"We'll see what state the house is in." Eli said, once again tugging her towards her car. "But we need to get going _now." _

It took her a moment to realize that Eli thought that there was still something salvageable from this situation. She knew better, though. Based on her mother's reaction, the house was nothing but ash by now. She wiped her eyes again, looking into Eli's and seeing the desperate hope in his eyes.

She didn't want to crush his hopes of having a future with her. Not yet. Not until she had to She closed her eyes and let him tug her closer to her car. _Just a few more moments with him, Lord. Please. _She pleaded mentally as Eli helped her get into the car. He even buckled her in.

It became increasingly apparent that Eli wasn't going to pay any attention to the speed limit or stop signs.

"Eli!" Clare cried out as he blew the fourth stop sign. "You're going to get us arrested or killed!"

Eli, realizing that he'd been putting Clare and his unborn child in danger by going that fast, eased his foot onto the break, finally stopping at a stop sign. He inhaled sharply and exhaled. "I'm sorry." He said for what seemed like the tenth time today. "I just have this feeling that there's still hope."

Clare's lower lip quivered and she reached out, rubbing his shoulder. "I know you do, Eli. Getting arrested on the way to my house isn't going to help that hope. Just... slow down, okay?"

Eli nodded and eased his foot onto the gas, finally following the speed limit. It took every fiber of his being not to slam it to the floor, but since Clare asked him to slow down, he would. Even if that meant costing valuable time.

He clenched his teeth as they reached another red light. He was starting to lose his patience. They weren't even halfway there to Clare's house. It _would _be ash by the time they got there. Deciding he couldn't take it anymore, Eli put his foot to the floor once the light turned green.

"ELI!" Clare screeched.

The light had just turned yellow. He could make it if he continued.

He slammed on the break, just in time to see a truck blow it's own red light.

Clare was panting heavily, her ivory skin even whiter. She looked over at him, still panting softly.

"I think there's something I need to tell you before you get us killed." She whispered.

Eli's brow arched. "You forgot to tell me something?"

Clare looked away. "Neglected to tell you, more like."

Eli's eyes narrowed and he felt a sudeen rush of anger. Had she lied about her house being on fire to just get out of the meeting with Declan? What could she have possibly _neglected _to tell him? When she didn't reply right away, he decided to prompt her. "Well?"

And in five simply words, she told him.


	14. Chapter 14

**_Chapter Fourteen_**

It wasn't here.

It just _wasn't _here.

Kyle had torn the bitch's place apart. He'd overturned every bookshelf, flipped the bed, and ripped up floorboards. He'd searched everywhere he could possibly think of that someone would hide something of importance to no avail.

He didn't even get a hint as to where it could be. He just knew that it wasn't here. After what he'd done to the place, he didn't want to risk leaving any fingerprints that would lead the police to him. He was still a criminal, after all. Still blinded with rage, he went outside to get his gasoline and spilled it meticulously throughout the house, knowing that it would engulf the entire house in flames and consume everything.

Even the evidence he was looking for, just in case the whore had stashed it somewhere in there and he just didn't know where.

As he retrieved the matches from his pocket, he was filled with a sudden satisfaction. That little whore wasn't going to get away from killing his cousin. With a flick of his wrist, the match started and with a satisfied chuckle, threw it at the last spot he'd dumped gas on and watched as the flames spread quickly. As the flames slowly got stronger, and bigger, Kyle gave the place one last glance before walking out the front door and putting his hood up and walking down the street. He was about two blocks away when he took out his prepaid phone and dialed a number.

"Hello?" The deep voice asked from the other side.

"I tore the bitch's place apart, Scorpion." Kyle began without preamble. "There was no hidden floorboard or safe or anything in there." Kyle paused; knowing what he said next might cause the other person to erupt. "I think Jake might have been wrong."

There was a long, pregnant silence following that proclamation. Kyle was almost tempted to chew on his bottom lips nervously when he finally heard Scorpion clear his throat and speak again. "He was not wrong. Did you torch the place in case you might have missed something?"

"Yes, sir." Kyle replied softly, turning into an alley. He had finally heard sirens of the firefighters and the police. "That was quick." Kyle murmured into the phone unintentionally.

"What was?"

"The police and the fire department." Kyle replied automatically. He wasn't allowed to keep anything from Scorpion. And if he did, there would be dire consequences. He'd learned his lesson after the first time.

"That must mean that one of the family was going to check on her. Once enough of a crowd has built, go back and scout it out."

"Go back to the scene of the crime?" Kyle couldn't keep the shock from his voice. "But, sir, I think I should be checking to see if there was any other places."

A short silence followed by a cough. "I'm on my way to the author's place now. You stay there and wait until she arrives."

_Click._

"Damn it." Kyle cursed. He had no desire to go back to the vicinity of the place he just lit on fire. There was a chance, albeit small, that they might suspect him in the crowd. He couldn't afford to be running away from the cops.

Or to be seen by any member of the Edwards-Martin family.

In order to keep their silence; he'd promised them that he was leaving once he had gotten what he came into town to collect. They wouldn't hear from him again. Surely one they saw that Clare's home was in flames, they knew he would have gotten what he came for. They would not be expecting him to still be here. He couldn't promise their silence if they were to see him.

He could already hear what Scorpion would tell him if he expressed these fears.

Inhaling sharply, Kyle emerged from the shadow of the alley and followed a small group of people that were slowly approaching the engulfed building. The fire department and the police had already formed a perimeter, not allowing any of the onlookers' close. Kyle managed to merge with the small group and into the much larger group. Taking a chance, he cleared his throat. "Anyone know what happened here?"

"The police haven't said much." The guy to Kyle's right said first. "They said they thought they might have smelled gasoline, but they're not sure."

"They managed to get a hold of the owner of the house. A sweet young girl who swore on her life that everything had been turned off upon her departure of the house." The guy in front of Kyle informed them, looking to Kyle and the guy who had spoken first.

"How do you know that?" Kyle inquired, tilting his head. "We're kind of far away to hear anything."

"I'm good at reading lips." The guy replied with a chuckle.

Kyle nodded, accepting that that would be all he was getting out of the man and decided not to push his luck. He looked between the police officers and the fire fighters to the smoke that was now pouring out of the house. The satisfaction was still there, but he still felt weary. Were Glen or Helen anywhere nearby? Had they alerted the authorities to his suspected involvement? Was the police looking for him right now?

Not being able to deal with the growing paranoia, Kyle slowly maneuvered out of the group of people when he heard the screeching of tires and turned back just in time to see a car pull up and Clare Edwards, the woman whom he loathed absolutely, get out of the car. Even from this distance, Kyle could see her blue eyes wide with horror and disbelief as she saw her home being slowly consumed by fire. Kyle smirked as he saw what he assumed were tears flowing from her eyes. He was mesmerized by it for a moment before realizing that he really should be getting back to his "apartment."

As a police officer approached Clare, Kyle nodded to himself and slowly slithered away from the inferno.


	15. Chapter 15

**_Chapter Fifteen_**

After a few minutes of tense silence had passed, Clare was starting to worry. Eli hadn't said a word after she had told him the truth. She had apologized for letting him believe that there was anything _truly _wrong, but he wouldn't have it. He simply continued to drive towards her place, following the speed limit this time. After a few more minutes passed, she couldn't take it anymore.

"Eli, please talk to me." She pleaded. She could already feel tears forming and didn't want to cry, but she would if he made her. She was extremely delicate right now, and he should know that. She finally risked looking over at him and instantly regretted it.

His features were tense; his eyes were shadowed. Her vision began to burn with unshed tears.

"You're going to have to be a spectacular actress." Eli murmured.

She perked up, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "What do you mean?"

"You're going to have to make the police believe that you've lost some things of great importance in the fire." He explained his voice still low. "That way, in case the person who started the fire is still there, he or she believes that you no longer have the evidence that will keep you free."

It was in that moment that Clare realized that Eli's mind worked in far different way than her own. He'd somehow managed to see this as some sort of poker game, and he was trying to bluff their opponents.

Whoever the hell their "opponents" were.

"I-I can do that." Clare assured him softly.

"I know you can." Eli said, the tenseness easing. "You just have to sell it to everyone else, including whomever started the fire." His eyes narrowed as he pulled over.

Clare blinked, surprised. "Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing is wrong." Eli said, staring ahead.

"What is it, then?" Clare asked nervously.

Eli continued to stare straight ahead, all but lost in thought now. Clare was already worried and this not talking to her was starting to bother her. They were in this together, as he'd said not too long ago. She gently reached out, cupping his cheek. "Elijah Goldsworthy, please tell me what's going through that head of yours."

The use of his full name finally seemed to snap him out of his trance. He turned to regard her, smiling ever so faintly. "How did you know to make a digital copy of the evidence?" He asked, referring to what she had told him.

_Stop. I made a copy._

Clare smiled in return. "Jake worked with the police department, as you know. He told me, in the rare moments he wasn't hostile, what some of the procedures were. They copied evidence they found at crime scenes. At least what they could copy digitally."

"So that's where you got the idea from? Jake never suspected that you might have taken pictures of what he'd done?"

It was Clare's turn to turn away. Her eyes became shadowed, her expression darkening. "Oh, he suspected."

"_Where's your phone?_" The voice of Jake Martin from her memory snapped at her. "_You didn't take any pictures, did you?_"

"How did you manage to hide it right underneath his nose?" Eli asked, breaking her from reverie.

"I-I bribed him with the promise of sex." Clare whispered.

There was another silence, one that she couldn't take. She knew, could even _feel, _Eli judging her for bribing her own husband with sex in order to keep her safety. Just when she couldn't take it anymore, Eli peeled out of the spot he'd pulled over to.

"Whatever you do, don't give it away." Eli said as he abruptly turned the wheel onto her street. "Act like you've lost _everything _in the fire. Do you understand?"

The harshness, the severity of his voice caused her to flinch, but she whispered: "Yes."

He brought the car to an abrupt halt outside of the house, and as she saw the house she'd grown up in engulfed in flames, it wasn't hard to pretend to cry. She opened the door to the car, stepping out and her eyes grew wide as she the acrid, black smoke spewing into the air.

A police officer approached her cautiously. "Are you Clare Martin?"

Clare nodded, not in any mood to correct him that her husband was dead. She'd have to work on getting that changed when she finally had the time. _If _she finally had time time again. "Yes, I am."

"We're afraid that if you had anything in the house, it's beyond saving now." The officer reported. "I'm sorry."

Clare nodded again, allowing the actual tears to fall onto her cheeks. "Thank you. T-There's nothing that can be done?"

"The fire department is doing all that it can, ma'am."

Disappointed with that reply, Clare turned away and joined Eli amongst the spectators of the fire. "Do you think he or she was here?" Clare asked, wrapping her arm around Eli's waist.

"I don't know." Eli replied, continuing to scan the thinning number of people. There was a few people leaving, but he couldn't see if anyone had looked back.

"What are we going to do now?" Clare whispered.

"We'll go to my place." Eli said, wrapping his arm around her and walking away from the fire towards the car. He held the car door open for her, and a small smile thanked him. Eli closed the door, walking around the other side and getting into the driver's seat. He truly wished that there were some way he could take Clare away from all of this. Even for just a day. She didn't need all this stress and worry. It wasn't good for the baby.

"Are you in the mood for something to eat?" He asked, smiling as genuinely as he could as he turned the key.

"I'm actually starving." Clare replied with a giggle. "Could we get something to eat?"

As he put the car from neutral to drive, he chuckled. "Anything for you, Clare."


	16. Chapter 16

**_Chapter Sixteen_**

Kyle always dreaded meeting with Scorpion. He wasn't a patient man or a calm man when angered. Kyle normally just sat there and waited for Scorpion to detail the plan and then he went out and did the plan to Scorpion's specifications. This time felt different. Kyle couldn't quite put his finger on it, but it did. There was something off about meeting Scorpion after he'd just broken into that author's apartment. Had he found something? Had something happened inside of the apartment?

Had Scorpion found the evidence that Kyle hadn't and was planning on killing him?

Kyle didn't want to know if he was walking towards his death or not. If it was going to happen, he wanted to be completely unaware of it. He banished any thought of Scorpion painting the walls with his brain and instead focused on his deep loathing for Clare Edwards. She was the reason he was doing all this. He knew that she didn't know him well enough to call this a personal vendetta, but Kyle knew everything about her.

It was personal for him. Partly, anyway. Scorpion had promised a shortened prison sentence and a decent sum of money, and that's all it took to secure his cooperation. Top it off with being able to avenge his cousin's death by putting that whore of a wife who killed him to jail just made it too sweet of a deal for Kyle to refuse.

He could do without Scorpion, though. The man was dangerous. More dangerous than he could imagine. With the type of job he held, it would be a fatal mistake to even get on his bad side. Remembering that he wasn't supposed to be thinking about it, Kyle one again focused on Clare, but realized that he'd arrived at their designated meeting spot. He sat down on the bench, and waited only a few minutes before Scorpion emerged from the shadows and sat down next to him.

Kyle swallowed nervously.

"I finally managed to get a hold of the phone records between Jake and Clare just prior to the incident at the apartment."

Kyle continued to stare straight ahead, listening intently.

"Just prior to going to see Goldsworthy, she delivered some... unwelcome news, to say the least."

Knowing that he'd eventually have to speak up, Kyle cleared his throat. "What was it?"

"That the one night that Jake "forced" himself on her had gotten her pregnant." Even though Kyle could not see him, he suspected he was sneering.

"Pregnant?" Kyle repeated. "How far along?"

"My guess would be about three months."

Kyle paused before asking, "How did Jake respond to the news?"

"He punched her." Scorpion replied simply. "Left her with a gigantic black eye."

Kyle resumed looking forward, opting not to say anymore unless asked a question. His mind was slowly wrapping itself around all of this.

"I believe that she had sex with Goldsworthy that night in hopes of duping him into thinking he's the father." Scorpion explained after a moment. "He's caught up in her lies just like the rest of us were."

"What do you want me to do?" Kyle asked, wanting this little meeting to be over with now. The longer it went on, the more he suspected the he might have been right about being killed.

Kyle felt Scorpion stand up. "I want you to take it easy for a little bit, lay low. I planted something inside of Goldsworthy's apartment that will help him realize the truth about Clare Edwards"

_Law low? _Kyle repeated to himself. His gut feeling got worse. "For how long? Is there anything else I can do in the meantime?"

"There is, actually." Scorpion said, the tone of his voice suggesting that he was actually almost amused. "They've hired a lawyer by the name of Declan Coyne. I scanned over his information. He, too, went to Degrassi Community School. I suspect that he was lured into this business in almost the same manner Goldsworthy was. Determine how far in she dragged him. See if he is... malleable to persuasion."

Kyle nodded his acknowledgment. He was relieved to hear that he could do more than just sit around and wait for his next set of orders.

"_We'll be in touch."_

Knowing that was the sign that the meeting was over, Kyle leaned back on the bench and folded his arms across his chest and contemplated the whole situation again. Especially Clare Edwards. He'd hoped by now she would have some sense to just give up, but this Goldsworthy character from her past seemed to have given her a a renewed sense of hope and belief in life. Kyle knew that Jake wasn't happy that she'd somehow manage to slip from his near ironclad grasp.

As Jake had said in the last letter to Kyle from prison, she was so close to breaking. She would finally be his.

Kyle shook his head. He could feel the rage and the grief once again threatening to consume him. If he had it his way, he would simply strangle Clare and get it over with. None of these carefully laid traps and moves that Scorpion was so fond of. But when he said that Clare would ultimately get what she deserved, that Kyle just needed to trust him, Kyle did so with little reservations. Jake had always spoken the world of Scorpion. How much better of a police officer he was. If Scorpion had a plan to get back at Clare, Kyle would support him.

It didn't hurt that he promised a little money and gotten him a reduced prison sentence, of course.

With a groan, Kyle hauled himself to his feet. He should go back to the apartment and try to get some sleep. He had a new mission tomorrow and he needed to be well rested if he wanted to get any results.

Nodding to himself, he started making his way back to his apartment.

He never did see that right across the street from the bench he and Scorpion were sitting on, that Eli and Clare were eating inside.


	17. Chapter 17

_**Chapter Seventeen**_

"I am _full._" Clare proclaimed, pushing her plate away and covering her mouth as she finished chewing.

Eli chuckled, pushing his already finished plate next to hers. "I was full after the entree." He admitted. "I don't know how you manage to eat all of that."

"I'm eating for two, remember?" Clare said, reaching for her pocketbook. "I guess we should pay the bill now?"

"What do you think you're doing?" Eli said, sounding offended. "I'll pay the bill. Don't you worry about trivial things like that."

"Trivial?" Clare repeated. Her expression softened to the point where it looked like tears might spill from her eyes. "Eli, you've suffered so much since I came back into your life. Please. Just let me buy this one small dinner."

Eli looked into her sincere blue eyes and he didn't want to refuse her. He didn't want to tell her no. But he was still the Eli Goldsworthy that she knew from the past, and he wouldn't let her pay for this dinner. "I'm sorry, Clare, but this one is on me."

Clare's lips compress into a fine line and Eli knows she wants to argue. As he lips part and she's about to protest, Eli stands up and walks over to the cashier and pays the bill. Receipt in hand, he walked back over to Clare. "Ready to go?" He asked, a smirk tugging at his lips.

Clare tried to stay upset with him, but as she saw the smirk she smiled and stood up, giving his lips a quick kiss. "You're lucky I love you." She said, taking his hand and pulling him with her out of the restaurant.

"Is that so?" Eli murmured with a grin. "Why's that?"

"Because that means I won't try to make your life hell when I'm mad at you." Clare said sweetly.

Smiling to himself, Eli continued to follow Clare back to the car, ignoring the hooded man that was nearly beside them the whole time. Clare, lost in her own thoughts, turned around abruptly and almost smacked the man that was so close to them.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Clare apologized, reaching for the man to give him a touch of reassurance that she hadn't meant any harm. The man jumped backwards, and Eli braced himself for a fight. This man should've known that Clare hadn't meant any harm. Eli squinted, trying to get a better look at the man.

"It's fine." The man grunted.

Eli could see the man tensing even in the darkness, causing himself to tense as well."All right." Eli whispered, wrapping his arm protectively around Clare. "Have a good night. We're sorry about that."

Nodding gruffly, the man continued on his way, allowing Eli and Clare to reach the car. "What do you think that was all about?" Clare asked as she clambered into the passenger seat after he'd unlocked it.

"I don't know." Eli murmured as he got into the driver's side. "He definitely had a problem with us, though."

"With us or with the world?" Clare muttered under her breath.

"Both, probably." Eli said with a chuckle. He started the car and pulled out of the parking spot and onto the main road that would lead them to his place. After a few minutes of comfortable silence, Eli asked softly, "Are you sure you want to go back to my apartment? Are you ready for that?"

Clare did not reply right away. She allowed the question to linger as she stared out the window at the passing traffic and the sunset. "I would have to go back eventually," She murmured, her gaze unwavering, "I'm just glad that you'll be with me. We'll be in bed and it won't be _wrong. _I won't be the crazy _bitch _that's sleeping around." She sneered at her reflection.

Eli's own memory flashed back to when Jake was calling Clare a _slut _and a _whore. _How long must she have endured the name-calling? How long had she must have dealt with the emotional, as well as physical abuse, of Jake Martin? How much damage had her heart taken? Tears threatened to spill and Eli reached put and grasped Clare's hand softly. "I love you, Clare."

Clare smiled, despite being caught in a wave of self-loathing and self-pity. "I love you, too, Eli."

A comfortable silence followed as Eli pulled into the small secluded parking lot that was used by his apartment complex. He shut the car off and got out, walking over to the other side and holding the door open for Clare. "Thank you." She murmured politely and Eli gave her a reassuring smile. They walked together, hand and hand, to the apartment and took the stairs to his floor. He retrieved his keys and opened the door, holding his breath before pushing the door open and turning on the light.

Clare exhaled behind him and he walked inside slowly, turning on the light. "It looks kind of different." He muttered under his breath.

Clare giggled and closed the door behind her. "That's just your imagination."

Or was it?

Eli walked over to the counter, bemused. Resting on the counter in the foyer was a sealed envelope with a note that just said: "To Mr. Goldsworthy. Deepest Regards." He picked it up cautiously; almost afraid it might be a bomb.

"What's that?" Clare asked, joining him.

"I don't know." Eli replied and ripped opened the envelope. He peered inside and saw that there was only one piece of paper inside. Delicately, he took it out. He scanned it, his eyes narrowing as he saw the date and the content of the paper.

Clare swallowed nervously. "W-What's that?"

Eli looked up slowly from the paper, his eyes shadowed. "It's a DNA test. Dated about three months ago."

Clare blinked.

She blinked again.

"How?"

"I don't know how!" Eli snarled, thrusting the piece of paper at her. "But it looks pretty legitimate to me!"

Clare smoothed out the paper and quickly read it, her jaw hanging slightly agape. "This was supposed to be a private test..." She murmured under her breath. She felt like she couldn't even look Eli in the eye.

"You lied to me." It wasn't a question.

"Eli... I can explain.."

"There's nothing to explain." Eli said, his voice cold. "I'm going to go for a walk. I'll be back."

Before she could say another word, the door slammed closed


	18. Chapter 18

**_Chapter Eighteen_**

It was almost three in the morning when the prepaid phone that Scorpion had given him vibrated with a new text message. Kyle hesitatly opened his eyes and swept the phone into his hand and opened the text.

*Goldsworthy found out. Left the apartment. Call*

_How does he know these things? _Kyle thought to himself as he went through his short list of contacts to Scorpion's name and hit call. Kyle cleared his throat nervously just in time. Scorpion picked up after the first ring. "What do you want me to do?" Kyle asked tiredly. He'd almost been asleep for the first time in weeks and he just had to be interrupted by a text that meant he was going to go do something.

"_I am giving you a choice, Kyle._" The deep voice of Scorpion emitted from the other end. "_I am allowing you to choose who you would like to rough up. I can have Goldsworthy's location within minutes and Edwards is probably in the apartment, sulking. Take your pick._"

Kyle was thankful, now, that Scorpion hadn't asked for a face to face meeting. Kyle's jaw slackened and he stared at the wall. He was being given a choice? Scorpion had never done this. Not in the time Kyle had known him, and the rumors about him suggest that he rarely gave people choices; it was always orders.

"Just to make sure I heard you right, sir, you did just say rough up, correct?"

"_I do not desire their deaths,_" Scorpion explained menacingly, "_I simply want to see justice served._"

_Your own brand of justice. _Kyle thought to himself. He moistened his lips nervously. He needed to give Scorpion an answer and soon.

The opportunity might slip him by.

"Edwards." Kyle said slowly and deliberately. "I want Edwards."

There was a short pause.

"_Very well. Go to Goldsworthy's apartment. She will be there. Do not kill her, Kyle. Or I'll kill you myself._"

There was a click and the line went dead.

Kyle stood up slowly from the bed. He had no intentions of killing Clare Edwards; not if it meant invoking Scorpion's wrath. He was just going to give her a good beating.

Just like Jake used to do.

* * *

><p>She couldn't believe it.<p>

She just couldn't freaking believe it.

How had someone managed to find the confidential DNA records? They were supposed to be _confidential. _Clare just couldn't find it in herself to bring her emotions under control. Someone, she didn't know who, had just undone her happy ending. She had found a way to get away from Jake and live a happy life, and now it was growing dimmer with each minute Eli didn't show back up.

She didn't bother to stop the tears.

What was she crying for, though? That the person she'd been lying to found out about the lie and probably hated her guts? Or the fact that she'd now been caught in a lie? One that she'll never be able to escape from.

She didn't know. She didn't care.

She just wanted Eli back.

"Eli!" She sobbed, putting her face in her hands. Guilt ate at her like a disease. "I'm so s-sorry..."

Clare knew that expressing her sorrow and regret to a man that wasn't even here was pointless, but she needed to get it out. She needed to express her grief before it consumed her. The tears flowed freely for a long time, and the only time they stopped was in order for her to choke on Eli's name.

It wasn't until there was a knock at the door when the tears finally ceased. Her heart almost jumped out of her chest. _Eli! _She squealed to herself as she got off the couch and bound for the door, opening it without reservation.

It took her only a second to realize that it wasn't Eli.

"Can I help you?" She whispered to the tall, hooded man.

Before she could even react, she felt his fist connects to her cheek and that sent her stumbling backwards. The man stepped into the apartment, closing the door behind him quietly.

"Help! Help me!" Clare tried to scream, but the man's fist connected again and again in quick succession. She finally collapsed to the floor, but not before she managed to scream for a second before he punched her again, this time square on the lips and she tasted blood almost instantly.

"You need to shut the hell up." The man growled menacingly. "I don't want to kill you, but I will if you keep making noise."

Even in her half-conscience state, she knew that was a lie. He was either going to rape her and then kill her, or just kill her outright. She gathered as much blood and saliva as she could and with what strength she had, spat it directly into the hood.

The man murmured a profanity and punched her again and again, sinking onto his knees to give him more force behind his punches. After what felt like forever, he finally stopped, panting heavily.

Darkness was threatening to consume her.

"Oh, no, you don't," The man said and smacked her hard. When she couldn't even respond to that, he smacked her even harder. She moaned, and tears welled into her eyes. She forced herself to look at her attacker, because she knew that was what he wanted. "Good. I want you to be conscience so you can see what I'm going to do to you."

_What is he going to do to me? _Clare thought, even though thinking caused her pain. Her eyes opened and she tried to spit more blood in his face, but he smacked her again. "Don't even think about it."

She could feel herself being lifted up onto her feet and pulled along to the outside of Eli's apartment. "Grab onto this." The man grumbled, and she did as she was instructed. What more could she do? She'd tried to put up a fight, but he more or less silenced her. All she could do now was hope it was over soon.

"This is for Jake Martin." The man said from behind her and she swore she could feel his foot on her back.

He pushed with all of his might and she didn't even make it to the second step before darkness claimed her completely.


	19. Chapter 19

**_Chapter Nineteen_**

Despite leaving the apartment almost half an hour ago, Eli still felt betrayed. How could Clare have done that to him? Why had she lied to him? Why wouldn't she just tell him the truth from the start? _Would it have mattered? _His conscience asked him. _Had she told you that she was pregnant from Jake, would that have stopped you? _Eli dumbfounded at his own questions, looked down at his feet. It most likely wouldn't have stopped him. He had wanted Clare for so long, that it must've been imbedded in his soul. When she offered the chance to be with her, he took it. Even though he was drunk, he still wanted that chance.

But look at what that one time had cost him.

He was pretty sure his reputation was destroyed by now. Would any other publishers deal with what public relations dealing with him would most certainly be? He highly doubted it. He was going to have to find a new occupation; being an author was now out of the question.

_What about Clare? _His conscience asked. _Despite her lie, does she still not deserve your love?_

He was quickly growing irritated with himself. It felt like he was purposely trying to guilt himself. But he realized that wasn't the case: He already felt terrible about leaving Clare all alone. There were people that wanted to see her hurt. His head instantly snapped up. "Idiot!" He snarled at himself, and began jogging back to the apartment. How could he have been so stupid? He just left the door wide open for someone to take Clare, or worse. _If something happened to her..._

He ran faster with each passing moment as his conscience whispered what could have possibly happened to Clare in his absence. And with each passing moment, they got progressively worse until he was at a dead run, bursting through the apartment complex's front door and up one flight of stairs. Before he could run up the second flight, he saw her. At least, he suspected it was her. Taking only a few more steps forward confirmed his suspicion.

"Clare!" He cried as he ran over to her. She looked... broken. He turned her body over slowly, and she was limp. "Oh, no, no, no." He leaned his ear against her chest, wanting to hear a pulse. When he didn't feel a pulse that way, tears blurred his vision, but he pressed his pointer and middle finger against her neck and finally felt a faint pulse. "She's alive!" He said, almost crying tears of joy. He didn't know for how long, but that wasn't going to matter. He was going to rush her to the hospital right this instant. "Stay with me, Clare, okay?" He whispered, and picked her up slowly, cradling her limp body close to his chest as he went down the flight of steps into a panicked crowd.

"What happened!?" One man asked.

"Is she going to be okay?" Another person murmured.

"Someone call an ambulance!"

"There is no time for that!" Eli snapped at them all as he walked past. "The hospital is right down the street. I am going to take her in my car."

"But what happened to her?" The first man asked again. "We have to report this with the authorities. What do we tell them?"

Eli looked down at his broken angel. Without looking up he said, "Tell them that this was an attempted murder. Someone pushed her down the stairs. I found her."

He left the small crowd speechless as he made his way to his car. He gently put Clare in the backseat and got into the driver's side and went to the hospital as fast as he could. When he got there, he gently lifted Clare back into his arms and cradled her close to his heat as he walked in the front door of the hospital.

Nurses swarmed him.

"Her name is Clare Diana Edwards." Eli explained as one male nurse finally tore her from his grasp. "My name is Elijah Goldsworthy. I found her at the bottom of a flight of steps. I suspect she was pushed down them."

"Anything else?" The male nurse asked as he and the group connected Clare to the IV's.

"She's about three, four months pregnant."

The male nurse looked at him and for the first time, Eli could feel genuine sympathy from someone besides Clare. "Is the child yours?"

Giving Clare one more glance as she was taken away, Eli nodded. "Yes."

"I will make sure to keep you informed, Mr. Goldsworthy." The male nurse said, giving his shoulder a reassuring pat before sprinting off in the direction of the rest of the team that had taken Clare away.

He didn't know how much he liked the idea of being left alone. He had no one to talk to about this. No one to lean on. The one person he did depend on was now the person he was most afraid of losing. He couldn't depend on Clare now. He didn't even know if she was going to make it. Inhaling sharply, he sat down slowly in the waiting room.

He leaned his head back against the wall and was almost instantly asleep.

* * *

><p>"Mr. Goldsworthy?"<p>

Upon hearing his name, Eli quickly sat up straight and wiped the corner of his mouth. "Yes? Yes?"

"Ms. Edwards is currently asleep, but she's in stable condition." The male nurse from earlier informed him with that sympathetic smile of his.

"What's the damage?"

"From what we could tell, she suffered some sort of trauma before falling down the stairs. Multiple skull fractures, a few broken teeth. It would seem to be that she was savagely attacked."

Eli had to look down in order to keep the tears from spilling. Someone _had _attacked Clare and pushed her. His hand clenched into a fist and he suddenly had the urge to punch this man right in the jaw. But that wouldn't solve anything. This was his entire fault, and he knew it. He was the only one to blame, not this man that was doing his best to keep Eli in the loop. "How long before I can go and see her?" Eli asked, not looking up.

"As soon as I leave, you're free to stay with her until she awakens."

"How long do you think it'll be before she does wake up?"

"At least a couple more hours."

Eli nodded and stood up. "Thank you." He said softly. "One last question: Which room is she in?"

"Down the hall and she'll be the last door on the left."

Eli muttered yet another thank you before making his way down the hall and found the room with Clare's name on the front. He exhaled and sat down, pulling the chair close and holding her hand.

"I love you, Clare. You'll get through this. We'll get through this. I promise."

_And I'll find the son of a bitch who did this to you. _


	20. Chapter 20

**_Chapter Twenty_**

Even as he walked down the street calmly, his face covered by his hood, a huge smile was pulled across his features. He had done it. He had finally hurt Clare Edwards in the way that she had hurt him. Kyle Martin had played his part in this scheme. Although he was still tasked with hunting down evidence against Clare's lawyer, Declan Coyne, Kyle felt little need for that now. She'd be lucky to remember the name of the layer when she gained conscienceless. With all this pressure on her and her lies revealed, Kyle suspected that Goldsworthy would soon leave her. He loved her, sure. But was love enough after everything that he'd experienced? Kyle doubted it. With Goldsworthy out of the picture, Clare Edwards was ripe for Scorpion's picking. Leaving Kyle well compensated, and his cousin's honor defended.

As he turned the corner that would lead him to his temporary home, Kyle felt relieved. He felt that he had done his obligation to Scorpion. He quickly realized much to his dismay, which he no longer wanted anything to do with that man. The man was _dangerous. _

Far more dangerous than Goldsworthy, Edwards, or Kyle himself could ever dream him to be.

But if he even suggested that he wanted to leave before Scorpion had his final revenge on Clare, he would kill him right on the spot. He had made that clear when he had paid him a visit in jail that, unbeknownst to Kyle at the time, would lead to all of this. He was in Scorpion's debt until Scorpion was finished with Clare.

"Shit." Kyle murmured to himself as he took his key to the apartment out. He was probably better off in jail. Dealing with Scorpion was like dealing with the mob. Shaking his head at his own stupidity, he put the key in and opened the door, giving one last glance around to see if anyone was around, and entered, closing the door quickly behind him.

"That was some beating you gave her." The voice of Scorpion said from the darkness of the apartment as he turned around.

Kyle's heart sunk. This was it. Scorpion _never _showed up unannounced. He must be displeased. "Was it not to your liking, sir?" Kyle asked, his eyes darting around his apartment for something he could use in his defense should Scorpion want to punish him a little bit before killing him. He knew that Scorpion was a hulk of a man and he would not be able to take him down in a fistfight. He needed something extra.

"No, no. I read her evaluation thoroughly. You've left some marks that might not leave her. Ever." The darkness of the apartment finally gave birth to Scorpion, and Kyle swallowed nervously. He was, as always, unreadable. "I'm impressed." Scorpion murmured.

"You are?" Kyle asked, shocked.

"I didn't think you had that sort of brutality to you, Kyle." Scorpion explained, a small smile forming in the darkness. "Jake would've been proud."

Kyle blinked a couple of times before saying, "I'm glad you think so, sir."

"Oh, I don't think so. I _know _so." Scorpion finally emerged completely from the darkness and Kyle relaxed as he saw that there was nothing in Scorpion's hands. He was safe for now. "We were partners, after all."

"I remember, sir." Kyle said, smiling slightly. "That is one fact I'm not ever going to forget."

"And if you do," Scorpion said, now towering over Kyle, "I will make sure to remind you that your cousin was in my debt. I saved his life countless times. I helped cover up his... _disciplining_ of his wife. A debt that you, now, have helped repay."

Kyle nodded and said nothing.

"Which reminds me," Scorpion said, indicating to Kyle's bed, "I've left some tools for you to use when you are gathering information on the lawyer. They should prove helpful."

"Thank you, sir." Kyle murmured; his curiosity peaked.

"You're welcome." Scorpion said, easing past Kyle and opening the door. "We'll be in touch."

The door closed behind Kyle and he waited a couple of minutes to make sure that Scorpion would not return before making his way cautiously to the bed, where a suitcase now laid. Kyle opened the suitcase slowly, and was shocked to see the contents.

Inside were various instruments that could only have one intention: Murder.

There were needles with sedatives, a pair of knives, and an empty syrange, with various bottles for which to select from. Kyle also saw a handwritten note and picked it up.

_I've changed my mind. I do not desire any information on the lawyer. Kill him._

_Pick your poison. _

Outraged at this change of plans, Kyle crumpled up the paper and threw it at the wall. Sure, he was an arsonist. Yes, he'd abused a pregnant woman. But now he was expected to be a murderer? Kill a man he didn't even know? This was far beyond what he agreed to when he was discussing the terms with Scorpion while he was still in prison. He had agreed to help him serve justice on Clare Edwards, but not murder.

Now, more than ever, he wanted a way out.

But what choice did he have? If he didn't do this, Scorpion would turn him over to the police and there would be so much evidence against him he'd never see the light of day again. Scorpion would probably have him killed, innocently enough, be a random prisoner that Kyle would have pissed off accidentally.

Calming himself, he reached for the phone and dialed the number provided.

"You've reached the law offices of Declan Coyne. How may I help you?"

"I'd like to set up an appointment." Kyle said, lowering his voice. "When could I see Mr. Coyne?"

"He's available tomorrow morning at nine. Would that be acceptable for you, Mr..."

"Martin." Kyle supplied. "And yes, that's fine."

Before the woman could say anymore, Kyle hung up and threw the phone on the bed in disgust.

By tomorrow, he would be a murderer.


	21. Chapter 21

**_Chapter Twenty-One_**

Declan Coyne knew he was in trouble the moment he walked into his building and saw his secretary laying face down at her desk, a small trickle of blood trailing onto the desk from a wound he wasn't quite sure he could see. He approached her cautiously, trying to find his cell phone in his pocket. When he did find it, he pulled it out and dialed the emergency number, but got no signal. He cursed and tried it again, but got the same result as before.

Ever fiber in his being was telling him to run while he still had the chance. Perhaps he could manage to evade his pursuers long enough to get help. Or to at least get a good look at the people, who were now, obviously, out to hurt him.

He didn't move a muscle. He wasn't going to run like some coward. He didn't know how many of them there were or by what means they could use to kill him, but he was going to give them a fight. That much he could assure himself of.

"I don't know why you're here," Declan said into the darkness that consumed the other part of the building, where his office was, "But I'm not going to run away."

To his surprise, a voice answered him back. "That is wise of you, Mr. Coyne. I wouldn't want to make more of a mess than I have to."

"Why? Why are you here?" Declan asked. "If you're going to kill me, shouldn't I at least know why?"

"Are you so sure you're going to die?" The voice in the darkness answered.

After a minute musing, Declan nodded. "Yes. I am pretty sure I'm going to die." He paused and then added, "At least one of us is."

The darkness didn't answer right away. Declan turned slightly to see if he could make out a figure in the darkness but once he turned around, the voice finally replied.

"You took on the case of Clare Diana Edwards. You're going to die because of her."

"Clare?" Declan repeated, bemused. "What is your problem with her? She's as innocent as they come."

A silence followed that statement. Declan waited for a reply, but none came. He reached for something to defend himself with when he felt a rather large arm wrap around his neck and begin to squeeze. He struggled as he heard the reply, "Not as innocent as you think."

Declan fought off the darkness as long as he could.

* * *

><p>As the lawyer went limp in his arms, Scorpion released him and let him fall to the floor. He was merely passed out, which Scorpion wanted for the nest stage of his plan. He pulled his gun out of the holster and walked over to the also unconscious secretary. He put the gun to the back of her head and pulled the trigger twice, ensuring that she was dead.<p>

With that, he retrieved the noose from the trash bag and attached it to the ceiling. He put a chair underneath it and situated Declarer's unconscious body into it. When he awoke, he would panic and thus hang himself.

Before leaving, he smeared Declan's hand all over the gun that he'd used and dropped it near the now dead body. It would look, to anyone without an invested interest, like a murder-suicide. In fact, there could be a twist added: Declan, who was known to have an affinity for the women, had cheated on his wife with the secretary. She threatened to tell the wife about the affair, and Declan killed her and out of guilt, killed himself.

It would be spotless.

Content with his work, Scorpion left. As he got into his car, he checked his watch and knew that Kyle would be walking right into the mess he made. He'd probably check to make sure both of them were dead, and would leave prints. After a lengthy trial, he would once again be incarcirated and would need Scorpion's help to get out of it. Effectively making him a life servant to all of Scorpion's causes.

Because all he knew... was that he was getting tired of waiting for Kyle to give him the results he'd been seeking. He had, Scorpion had to admit, done a number on Clare. That wasn't enough. With Declan dead, a new lawyer would need to be found and Scorpion would make sure they got one that would be on his payroll. Basically sentencing Clare Edwards to a female correctional facility.

And that's where the real fun would start.

Scorpion was not a man who laughed often, but as he could see his plan reaching its conclusion, he couldn't help but feel satisfied with what he'd done. He pulled out of the parking lot of the law firm, and continued along his route. As he turned the corner, his iPhone began to ring and he pulled it out. It was a burner number, so knew knew it was Kyle. He must've come across the he'd created. Reluctantly, he answered it. "Yes?"

"_I'm not a murderer, Scorpion. I agreed to help you get revenge on Clare Edwards. She is now lying in a hospital bed with possible brain damage. What more revenge do you need? We never agreed to murder. I won't kill the lawyer._"

Scorpion lowered his voice menacingly. "I suspected you would betray me, Kyle. I knew you were too weak to do what was required. That's why I already paid Mr. Coyne a visit. I did what I _knew _you couldn't." He paused, allowing that to sink in. "You agreed to do _anything _to get out of jail, Kyle. Did you think that, somehow, murder wasn't on that list of _anything_? You're in need of a lesson of the consequences of crossing me." With that said, he ended the call. Kyle, whom had always been afraid of him and his reputation, would now be scared shitless. He had, to all intents and purposes, crossed him.

It was time for a personal lesson.

Scorpion made the next turn, heading towards Kyle's apartment.


	22. Chapter 22

**_Chapter Twenty-Two_**

"_You're in need of a lesson in the consequences of crossing me._"

Kyle's heart skipped a couple of precious beats.

He was coming.

He was on his way.

Right _now. _

Kyle smashed the phone against the wall and stomped on it a few times to ensure its destruction as he quickly gathered what little clothes he'd been provided. He didn't have much time, and he knew it. Scorpion didn't make idle threats. If he said Kyle needed a lesson, he was damn well going to give him a lesson and fast. Knowing that Scorpion had access to the entire police department at his disposal, he wasn't going to risk going out the front entrance of the place. Kyle decided he would take his chances on the side of the building, with the fire escape. He could escape into the alleyway and keep going until he found a safe haven. A place where he could be safe, at least for the moment. As Kyle opened the window, he almost forgot that he had a gun. He went back over to the drawer, retrieved the gun, and continued making his way out of the window and onto the fire escape. Hearing a soft knock on the door behind him, he knew that it was now or never.

He jumped.

Not onto the ground below, or onto a conveniently placed Dumpster, but to the other building and ducked into the small protection of the ledge, making his body as small as he could.

"The room is empty, sir." Kyle could hear the voices of two officers across. "Just a smashed cell phone. Looks like a burner one, too. No way to trace it. At least not now."

"_Scan the area._" Upon hearing Scorpion's voice, Kyle had to suppress a shudder. To know that he'd pissed off that man enough to have him call in two officers on patrol just meant that he was serious in finding him. "_I shall join you shortly._"

Kyle knew he didn't have much time, but to know that Scorpion could join those two at any moment made him panic, and all he wanted to do was flee. He needed to think clearly. The last thing he needed was for those two officers to discover him and warn him of his presence.

"The window is open, sir. I think that he might have escaped into the streets."

_I'll let you think that. _Kyle thought as he began to wiggle his body away from the apartment but still managing to keep himself firmly planted to the ground. When he was out of earshot, he risked a glance over and saw that the two officers had their back towards the open window.

He ran.

He managed to jump a small distance onto another building, and he felt immediately safer. They'd be searching for him on the streets. All he had to do now was avoid the streets at all costs until the pursuit died down. Then he could hot-wire a car and he could leave town, and eventually the country. Even if nowhere was safe; at least being out of the country increased his odds of being alive. And right now, that was all that mattered to him.

_Think, Kyle, Think. Where to go? Where could you hide?_

Then it hit him.

Although he knew that they wouldn't be the least bit thrilled to see him, they were his only option left. Perhaps if he explained his actions to them, if he told them that Scorpion was the one who put him up to it, they would forgive him. They would protect him, as family always should.

He would just need to leave out the part where he brutally attacked their daughter and kicked her down the stairs.

"Easily dismissible," Kyle murmured to himself.

All he needed to do was get there.

_I don't even know where the hell I am. How am I supposed to get there? _Shaking his head, Kyle stood up and quickly jumped to another rooftop. From this vantagepoint, he could see where he needed to go. "Perfect." He said to himself. They were setting up road blocks just a few blocks down. Scorpion was trying to box him in. Kyle couldn't allow him to do that. He made his way over to the entrance to the building from the roof, and by a miracle, it was open. Kyle made his way inside. Much to his relief, as he made his way down floor after floor, it was mostly empty. He made his way out onto the street and put his hood up, blending into the crowd as he'd been taught in prison. He managed to make it a few streets over with no complications. Taking this as his chance, he broke away down a side street and into a darker alley.

Just in time, too. A patrol car went past and Kyle once again crushed himself against the wall and hoped he wouldn't be seen.

The patrol car continued by and Kyle decided it was time to keep moving.

He needed to get to his safe haven and fast. He had this feeling that Scorpion was closing in on him and knowing that man as he did, it wasn't just pure paranoia. He was probably starting to realize that Kyle had escaped. Kyle hoped so because that would increase his odds of survival even further. Kyle continued down the dark alleys, making lefts and rights and hoped to keep any possible pursuers off his scent, and to throw off any suspicious people who could of sworn that was the man on TV.

As the sun began to set, Kyle decided he would ignore sleep. At least for tonight. He would keep going and going until he felt safe enough to rest. He didn't feel even the slightest bit safe right now, and thus wouldn't sleep anyway.

If there was anyplace left safe for him.

Was there even any hope that Kyle could actually escape? He was running from one of the most powerful men in Toronto, who had nearly endless resources to find him.

As Kyle pushed forward, he began to wonder why no one ever questioned why Scorpion diverted resources like he did.

Was everyone turning a blind eye?


	23. Chapter 23

**_Chapter Twenty-Three_**

Two days.

Eli had been sitting by Clare's bed for two days and nothing had changed. Absolutely nothing.

It was driving Eli crazy.

"Miss! Miss, wait!" Eli exclaimed, releasing Clare's hand and running after the poor nurse who must not have known his tendency to make a nurse check on Clare.

The nurse stopped and turned, regarding Eli coldly. "You must be Mr. Goldsworthy," She said, looking him once over and relaxing slightly seeing his unkempt state. "You should really go home. We'll call you the moment that there is news."

"It's not even in consideration." Eli retorted, gesturing towards Clare's room. "Could you please run some tests, please? You're the only nurse I've seen in a while. It's like they're avoiding me..."

"An apt observation." The nurse said evenly. "You're driving them up a wall with these tests you keep asking for. There's nothing we can do, Mr. Goldsworthy. It's up to Clare now."

"There's got to be something you―"

"No. I'm sorry."

The nurse managed a sad smile as she turned away and continued along her way, leaving a frustrated Eli in her wake. He murmured a few profanities as he leaned his head against the wall. He was running out of options. There wasn't anything he could do except sit there and wait, hope, for Clare to wake up.

Could anything be more impossible?

At the moment, Eli didn't think so. With a resigned sigh, he made his way back into Clare's room. He closed his eyes and put his head into his hands and sleep threatened to claim him, but he opened them before it could.

It took him a moment to realize that Clare's eye were open.

His heart skipped a beat. "Clare? Clare? Clare, baby..."

Her eyes shot over to him and he knew that this wasn't a dream. He wasn't asleep. He leaned in and kissed her on the lips, despite Clare cringing away from him. That hurt, but he figured she was just getting used to everything again.

"W-Where am I?" She whispered.

"You're at the hospital, baby. Somebody attacked you, but you're all right now." He stood up. "Before I say anything else, let me go get a nurse or a doctor. They're going to need to look at you."

Just as he reached the threshold of the door, her voice stopped him in his tracks.

"W-Who are you?"

He turned. "I'm Eli, remember? Your boyfriend?"

She turned away from him. "I-I don't know..."

"Nurse!" Eli cried out, stepping out into the hallway. "NURSE!"

For what seemed like an eternity, no nurse arrived. Just when he was about to abandon that approach and run down the hall, the rather cold nurse from before emerged and approached Eli cautiously. "Is there a problem, Mr. Goldsworthy?"

"It's Clare, she's awake," Eli said quickly, "But she doesn't know where she is... or who I am."

"The damage must've effected her memory. It'll be awhile before the doctor can determine if this is short term memory loss or long term amnesia." The nurse explained, pressing what Eli assumed was a pager as she took him by the arm and led him away from Clare's room. "They're going to have to run some tests. That will take some time. You should go home now; get some rest. You're going to need as much of it as you can take."

No longer in the mood to argue, Eli nodded his understanding. She did have a point. Mustering a smile, he turned and made his way towards the exit of the hospital.

_Get some sleep... and do a little investigation of my own._

Eli began to smirk. Yes. Yes, that sounded like a good plan. The authorities were doing very little to help him or Clare and he suspected either corruption or simply lazy officers. As he passed the reception desk, he saw a crowd of people looking up at the TV and one nurse turning the volume up.

"_The Toronto Police Department has issued the warrant out for the arrest of this man, Kyle Martin. He is the cousin of slain police captain Jake Martin. He is considered armed and dangerous. If you have any information, or if you think you might have seen him, please call the number below._"

Eli's smirk disappeared. Clare had never mentioned Jake had a cousin.

"Excuse me," Eli said, approaching the front desk and catching the attention of a nurse, "But what's the deal with this Kyle Martin character?"

"He's a convicted criminal with many priors." The nurse explained, starting to point towards the TV. "Didn't you see?"

"I missed some of it." Eli explained with a sad smile. "What were his priors?"

"They mentioned arson and various accounts of battery."

_Arson. _It finally made sense. This Kyle was the one who burnt Clare's house down. He was the one who was responsible for Clare's current state. _He's the one who made her forget me. _Eli's eyes narrowed and the nurse raised a brow. "Everything okay, sir?"

Eli nodded stiffly. "Thank you for your time."

He turned on his heels and exited the hospital.

He needed to find Kyle Martin before the police did. The problem was that Eli had no idea where to begin. He also didn't want to travel too far just in case Clare's condition either worsened or improved. He needed to be there for her now more than ever.

But he wanted to dish out some... personal revenge on Kyle before the police dealt with him and he never saw the light of day again.

But _where _to look?

Eli got to his car and opened the driver's side door, getting in and closing the door. He rested his head on the steering wheel, thinking.

Glen Martin, Clare's former stepfather. He'd know. If not, then Eli would try Clare's mother. Between the two of them there was bound to be an answer.

Eli turned the key and started the car and began driving in the direction of Glen Martin's home.


	24. Chapter 24

**_Chapter Twenty-Four_**

Just as Kyle had expected, his arrival was met with resistance.

"Get the hell away from me!" Glen yelled, trying to slam the door in Kyle's face but fortunately Kyle had put his foot out to stop the door.

"Please!" Kyle pleaded, attempting to kick the door further open. "Just hear me out."

"Why should I listen to _you_?" Glen snarled.

"Because you don't know the full story." Kyle said simply, calmly. "I didn't do what I did out of my own accord."

_That _caught Glen's interest.

"You didn't?"

Knowing that he'd just bought himself some time, he decided to reveal a little more. "There's a man with a great deal of power who wanted revenge for Jake. He conscripted me. I did what he wanted me to do or else he'd send me back to prison and kill me!"

There was a moment's pause as Glen searched Kyle's desperate features for some sign of lying. When there wasn't any, he relented.

Barely.

"Why should I believe this?"

"Because you know this man that forced me to do this. You understand the power that he has, and now he's after me." Kyle clasped his hands together as if begging. "Please, I'm unarmed. The entire city is looking for me, and there's no way out. I'll explain everything if you just give me the chance."

The couple of seconds it took Glen to decide felt like an eternity, but he opened the door enough for Kyle to come in. "You've got a lot of explaining to do."

Although he was a criminal, this man was still his uncle. The sternness of his voice reminded Kyle of when he and Jake had gotten in trouble when they were younger. Bowing his head humbly, he said, "Yes, Uncle Glen."

The door closed behind him.

* * *

><p>When he was finished telling the entire story, Kyle sat back in the chair nervously. He was begging, pleading with the Higher Power to make Glen believe him. He hadn't told a lie – he just didn't mention the part about kicking Clare down the stairs. Everything else was as he remembered it. Kyle had to admit that despite being frightened that he'd be thrown back into the street, it felt good to let all of it out. Scorpion has sworn that if he told a soul, they would be killed. He'd been wanting to tell someone for so long.<p>

At least he told family.

After moment, Glen said, "What are we going to do? How do we stop him?"

"I haven't thought that far ahead," Kyle admitted softly, "But there's got to be someone within the police force that is aware of Scorpion's machinations and would be willing to help us."

Glen's expression grew skeptical. "There's too many police officers for that, and it would take too long. He's after you _now_, Kyle."

Like Kyle wasn't _already _aware of that fact. "I know he is, but we can't kill him. That would be murder, number one, and number two: it won't bring him to justice for what he's done."

"But it would remove the threat he poses to this family, and you would be able to live the rest of your life in peace." Glen insisted.

_Would you still think that if you know what I'd done to Clare? Would you still want me to live the rest of my life in peace?_ "I'm surprised that even after knowing everything that I've done, you'd still wish peace for me." His throat tightened and his vision began to swim.

Glen leaned forward, smiling slightly. "The entire family has always known you were a troubled child, Kyle, but deep down we always knew that there was a good guy inside of that tough outer shell. You've made some mistakes, but you're still my nephew. I love you and I forgive you, knowing everything."

The tears that he'd been fighting back spilled over. "I just wanted justice for Jake. I never knew it would escalate to this."

The small smile that Glen had offered faded at the sound of Jake's name. "Clare knew as the rest of us knew that Jake wasn't right after... what happened. He was a broken man, Kyle. Clare was just defending herself."

Kyle looked up. "He was my best friend, Uncle Glen. He watched out for me when I went to prison. I owed him."

"You didn't owe him anything, Kyle. You've got to stop thinking that."

Although Kyle knew that Glen had a point, it hadn't felt that way. "That's probably why Scorpion that I was easy to manipulate." He murmured.

"That's in the past now, Kyle," Glen said reassuringly, "You're free now."

"Free?" Kyle repeated incredulously. "Scorpion's got the entire city looking for me. I won't be free until..."

Glen raised a brow for a moment before the realization dawned on him.

"Until he's dead."

Kyle nodded. It contradicted what he had said earlier, but the truth was Scorpion wouldn't stop hunting him until he was dead, or captured, tortured and begging for death or mercy. It was the only way to end this terrible business.

Glen stood up and started to make his way to the basement when there was a series of urgent knocks on the door.

Kyle jumped up and hid behind the wall, giving Glen a pleading look.

Glen nodded, gesturing for him to find a better hiding spot.

"Glen, Glen, Glen!" Another series of knocks, growing desperate. "It's me Eli, Eli Goldsworthy. I need to talk to you about Clare!"

Kyle's heart sunk.

"All right, Eli, hold on." Glen gave Kyle one last look that screamed _hide._

"I'm going to open the door."

Knowing this was his last chance, Kyle bolted for the basement door, closing it behind him and leaning against the door so he could hear the conversation between Glen and Eli. He placed his ear on the door and heard the front door knob turn and hear the words that both comforted him and haunted him.

"Clare's awake, but she doesn't know who I am. Maybe she'll know who you are. Do you know where your nephew Kyle is?"


	25. Chapter 25

**_Chapter Twenty-Five_**

Knowing that Uncle Glen could only buy him some time, Kyle decided that it would be best if he showed himself to Eli now. He'd see him sooner or later, and Kyle wanted to make sure that Eli understood that Kyle had no choice in what he did. So before Glen could respond to Eli's questions, Kyle exhaled and opened the basement door.

"He's right here."

Eli turned to look past Glen and his eyes narrowed. "What's he doing here? Don't you know that the entire Toronto police department is looking for him?" He turned his narrowed eyes towards Glen. "Don't you know what he's done?"

"Yes, Eli, I know," Glen said as he closed the door and locked it, "He told me everything."

"That he burned down Clare's house?"

Glen nodded.

"That he's the person responsible for Clare's current condition?"

Glen looked over to Kyle. "No, he didn't say anything about that."

"There's no proof." Kyle said, knowing that was the one truth he could hold onto.

"Who else _could _it be!?" Eli snarled. "You're the only one who's been hounding us since I came back into Clare's life!"

"I think you should sit down, Eli." Glen said, clasping the younger man on the shoulder in hope of calming him down. "Kyle wasn't acting alone. This wasn't entirely Kyle's idea."

Eli's eyes widened in disbelief. "You mean to tell me that there's another person in this? That he–" He points to Kyle, "Isn't alone?"

Glen shook his head. "Kyle was just the hired gun."

"To be fair, I never wanted to use a gun on any of the assignments." Kyle murmured. "Scorpion made me carry one, though."

"Scorpion?" Eli repeated. "Who's that?"

"As I said, Eli, I think you should sit down." Glen firmly grasped his shoulder and guided him to the couch, with a slight push, Eli sat down. "We've got a lot of time to cover, and not enough time to do so."

* * *

><p>When the rushed story was completed, Eli was shocked. This was almost too much to wrap his mind around. He regarded Glen and Kyle as if they were strangers he was seeing for the first time. <em>What did Helen get herself into when she married into this family?<em> Eli wondered if Helen had any idea. Looking at Glen, he didn't think she suspected. Looking at Kyle, though, he could see that someone in the family was trouble. Kyle was merely the product of it.

"Eli?"

Eli blinked, looking up. "Yes?"

"Do you need time to wrap your mind around everything we told you?"

_Yes. _"No. There's not enough time. If there were, I'd say yes. Clare is still in danger from this Scorpion, and I can't leave her alone." He looked down again. "I can't let something happen to her."

Seeing the sorrow in Eli's eyes felt like a lance going through Kyle's chest. He had helped bring all this suffering on both Clare _and _Eli. Prior to all this, Eli was but a man promoting his latest best seller. Now he was a hurt, confused, worried, man.

"You said you think Clare has amnesia?" Kyle said softly, recalling what Eli had mentioned in the rather droned on version of what was supposed to be a short story.

"Yes." Eli replied, not looking at Kyle directly. "She didn't know who I was."

Kyle stood up slowly. "I'll come with you to the hospital. I'll explain more of my plan on the way."

Eli really wanted to protest that idea. Having Kyle come with him would not only endanger Clare, but Kyle himself as well. Despite being initially angry with this person before him, Eli could feel pity for the man. He was misguided from the start with his intentions on 'avenging' Jake, but this Scorpion character took him farther away than perhaps even Eli could've imagined.

"I don't think that's such a good idea, Kyle." Eli said slowly, and Glen nodded his approval.

"I really don't care if it's a good idea or not," Kyle retorted, putting his hood back up, "I've got a lot of things to atone for. This will help – Just trust me."

Giving Glen a fleeting glance, Eli began to follow Kyle out to his car, which he unlocked promptly so Kyle could get in quickly. He made his way over to the driver's side and got in, sitting in silence for a moment. "What exactly do you plan on doing?" Eli asked quietly.

"Start the car and head back to the hospital." Kyle said sternly. "I'll detail my plan more thoroughly on the way."

With a helpless shrug, Eli started the car and made his way back onto the road that would lead to the hospital. When they were about half way there, Kyle spoke up at last.

"I'm going to create a diversion." Kyle began, looking out the window. "You're going to sneak in the side while I create a diversion in the main lobby. I do not care if Clare still doesn't know who you are or not: _Get her out. _Once Scorpion is informed of the scene I made at the hospital, he'll know where I am. He'll come for me. I do not know how long it'll take him to get to me, but he'll be there. You take Clare and go." He looked over at Eli, who was paying attention to the road but paying close attention to everything Kyle was saying. "Hide, if you can. Run if you must. I'm going to try and kill Scorpion."

"Do you really think he'll meet you face to face?" Eli asked, realizing all the terrible flaws in this plan of his. "He's going to try and protect this good cop image he has."

"Of course he is. That's why I'm going to demand to see him or else I'll 'off' an hostage."

Eli's eye widened at the word _hostage. _"You're going to be taking hostages?"

"I do not envy that part of the plan, but that's the only way I can get Scorpion alone."

Eli was stunned into silence for the remainder of the car ride, which lasted only about ten minutes. He pulled into the parking lot of the hospital and shut the car off.

An agonizing silence followed.

"I—I don't know what to say, Kyle," Eli murmured, "But good luck."

"You, too, Eli."

Kyle got out of the car, marching into the lobby of the hospital with a purpose, lowering the hood of his sweatshirt.

The only thing that Eli could hear as he went around the side of the hospital was a gun shot and Kyle yelling, "_EVERYONE GET DOWN ON THE GROUND, DOWN ON THE GROUND!_"


	26. Chapter 26

**_Chapter Twenty-Six_**

_This is what it has come to._

As Kyle held the gun up in the air, the people in the lobby shocked that he'd actually shot a round off, he realized that he probably wasn't going to leave this hospital alive. By siding with Goldsworthy and Edwards, he'd ended his life. Scorpion would come here and they both would die.

Or just Kyle would.

_I will die trying to bring Scorpion down. That's all I can do._

Try.

"Okay, everyone," Kyle said, his tone a lot kinder than he'd wanted it to be, "I'm sure you recognize my face from the TV? I'm Kyle Martin." He looked around the lobby, gauging the reaction from the small crowd that had gathered. A few of them recognized him, he could tell. A few of them were just staring at the gun in his hand as if they didn't believe it was real. "Oh, it's real." He declared for their sake. "So feel free to try something."

There was a murmur in the crowd, but they didn't do anything.

"Good." Kyle said, smiling slightly. "Now someone call the police."

"You actually _want _us to call the police?" A nurse asked incredulously. "Why?"

"Because that's apart of the plan." Kyle said, offering no further explanation. "Make sure to mention my name. Our beloved police captain would like to know where I am."

He gestured with his gun to the front desk and the nurse closest to it. She complied, calling the police. "Kyle Martin is here at Toronto General. Yes, please, hurry. He's armed."

Kyle narrowed his eyes.

"And he wanted me to make sure that you told the police captain. He wants him here."

"Thank you." Kyle said, surprisingly polite. "Now go join the rest near the entrance to the lobby."

The nurse did as she was ordered, rejoining the group in the lobby and Kyle made sure to keep his gun pointed at them. He scanned the group looking for who would be his hostage when Scorpion did finally arrive. If he picked a woman, he would be viewed as cowardly. He didn't want the public to think that he was a coward. He'd take a male nurse and shoot him in the leg to prove his point that he wanted to see Scorpion and him alone. Pretending to be the good cop, he'll come to prevent any further injuries in the eyes of the public.

Kyle also realized that that was Scorpion's power came from. From the public. A dedicated public service record, a service in the army, he was supposed to be a champion of the people. He used that facade to gain him favor with the public. They didn't think he could do any wrong. He was a man of impeccable integrity that wouldn't dare operate in the shadows and hire people such as Kyle – bend the rules to allow someone like Kyle to roam the street, let alone hire him to harass a woman who'd been trapped in an abusive relationship and desperately needed an escape. He wasn't that kind of person and the people of Toronto believed that lie. That's where Scorpion's true power was.

Kyle now knew that he needed to make his confrontation with Scorpion as public as possible. He needed to make sure that there were plenty of witnesses, and perhaps even the news. If all of them got involved, Kyle might be able to cast doubt in the faith that the public had with Scorpion and they would cast a light on his actions while on duty. Perhaps they'd also realize that he ruled through the thought of fear, and that he often diverted resources that could've been used for murder cases and other cases that deserved such resources – not hunting for a single man through out the city.

"Has anyone been watching the news?" Kyle asked, deciding that's he'd start with these people first. He decided that he wouldn't view them as hostages, but as the first people to be enlightened.

There were a couple of nods and murmurs that they had.

"Could someone please tell me what the explanation is for this massive manhunt for me?"

"They said that you killed a well known lawyer and his secretary." Someone in the crowd said.

Kyle had expected as much. "And did anyone pause to wonder why there would be a very public manhunt for someone who allegedly only killed two people?"

There were once again murmurs amongst the crowd, but all of them shook their heads.

"Exactly. Your beloved police chief has a personal vendetta against me. He hired _me. _He wants _me _dead for no other reason other than to tie up loose ends. If you would forgive the gun, I'll give you all the evidence you need to know that I'm speaking the truth."

"We're also _your _hostages," A male in the crowd said, "What choice do we have _but _listen to you?"

It was a tough comment, but it was true. "You don't _have _to listen to me. You can stop listening right now. I would like if you did, though." Kyle paused, looking at all of them. "Before I die."

Kyle knew it was a gamble leveling with these people. Just a moment ago he had burst into the lobby of the hospital with what they thought was the intention of using it on them. His demeanor had changed and now he wanted them to listen to the truth about a man that they probably didn't even know all that well. It was his only chance, though. Once Scorpion arrived, he probably wouldn't be able to get a word in edgewise.

An eerie silence had fallen over the lobby and that brought Kyle out of his reverie. He blinked.

"All right. We'll listen to you, but as long as you promise us something."

Kyle kind of figured what they wanted, but he nodded. "I'm listening."

"We want to escape this situation alive. Can you promise us that none of us will be hurt by you?"

Kyle nodded. "I won't hurt you. I can't promise that Scorpion won't hurt you. You've seen what he's done for one man. He might very well just bomb this entire hospital to dust just so the truth about him doesn't spread."

This didn't seem to placate them, but they were still waiting for him to begin his story on Scorpion.

"It all began with my cousin, Jake Martin..."


	27. Chapter 27

**_Chapter Twenty-Seven_**

There were no words for how furious Scorpion was.

How could an entire police department not be able to find one man? A single man who had a criminal record, and was easy to spot in a crowd. He looked like a thug straight out of prison.

Which he was, of course, but the citizens of Toronto didn't need to know about his dealings with him. He was wanted for a suspected murder-suicide. That was all they needed to know.

"Captain, sir."

Scorpion turned his eyes and voice cold. "What is it, rookie?"

The rookie looked down, suddenly unsure. He quickly looked back up. "We've received a call from Toronto General. They've said that Kyle Martin is there. He's taken hostages and has asked for you, sir."

Scorpion fought the urge to laugh. Was Kyle that stupid to take hostages? Did he really think that they would make a difference? He was still going to die, and slowly. Scorpion was going to make sure of that. "Do we know for sure that it's him?" Scorpion asked, eyes narrowing.

"We... didn't check, sir. Shall we call back to make sure?"

Scorpion nodded stiffly. "I want every detail you can squeeze out of him. Do not come back here until you can describe to me what every single hostage is wearing!"

The rookie officer took that order as his dismissal. He walked away from Scorpion; his head lowered all the way until he was out of view. He might've kept his head lowered passed that, but Scorpion didn't care. He wanted _results_. That was not a definitive result.

"Sir!"

"What?" Scorpion snapped at the direction of the voice. A young officer approached him. To Scorpion's surprise, he didn't hide or lower his gaze as he approached. He walked almost calmly right to Scorpion, meeting his gaze intently.

"I would like a word with you, sir." The officer said boldly, leaning in slightly and whispering, "In private."

"This had better be good." Scorpion growled and brushed past the officer and led the way into his office. Scorpion slammed the door after the officer entered. "What is it?" Scorpion demanded his eyes narrowing.

The officer stood his ground, his gaze unwavering. "Permission to be blunt, sir."

Scorpion almost rolled his eyes. "Granted. Out with it."

"Well, sir, I would like to know why we're about two minutes away from imposing martial law on the city of Toronto."

That was, of course, an exaggeration. It was to put emphasis on how busy the entire police force was looking for one man. Whose crime wasn't nearly as severe as some of the people that the officer had put away. Luckily for him, Scorpion probably didn't know who he was. That worked in his favor. Scorpion remained silent, so he decided to press his advantage.

"I've found out a connection between you and Kyle Martin." The officer said taking a step forward. "He's the cousin of your former partner, Jake Martin." Knowing he was entering dangerous territory, the officer decided to lay one last card on the table. "I wrote the report for a domestic abuse case between Jake Martin and his wife."

Scorpion's gaze was now murderous. "What's your point?" He snapped. "What's your name and rank?"

"My point is, sir, it seems that there is a personal connection between you and Kyle Martin. That's unprofessional."

"You still haven't given me your name and rank," Scorpion said darkly, "I would like to know who you are."

"I don't think my name is important, sir. Neither is my rank." The officer said and smiled. "I know that almost everyone who wrote about Jake Martin has either met with an accident or retired early. So, you don't need to know who I am."

"I am your superior!" Scorpion snapped, smashing his fist against the desk. "You will give me your name and your rank or you will be fired!"

"No need to make a scene, sir," The officer said, still smiling. He walked over to the door and opened it. "I will give my resignation when there's a new police captain."

And with that he was gone.

Scorpion now realized that there was now a problem bigger than Kyle Martin.

There was a loose end that he had somehow overlooked.

This wasn't good. This wasn't good at all.

"Sir."

Scorpion didn't even look up from his seat that he'd slumped into. "Yes, what is it?"

"There was no answer from the hospital."

"So?"

"I think that something may have happened, sir. I think we should send some unit to see if something can be done."

Realizing that he would have to solve one problem at a time, Scorpion stood up. "All right. Recall a couple of units. Have my car ready."

"Anything else, sir?"

Scorpion shook his head. "No. Now get out of here. We've got work to do."

_A lot more work than I thought._

"Hold a moment." Scorpion said as the man turned to leave. The man paused, his brow raised in an unspoken question. "Do you know the officer who was in here before you?"

"I was not paying attention, sir, I'm sorry."

Scorpion exhaled. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, sir."

"All right. Go." Scorpion waved him away.

_Damn it. Who the hell are you?_

* * *

><p>The man had managed to blend into the crowd of police officers and made his way into the parking garage, where there were so few police cruisers left. The man got into one and without waiting for a partner, drove onto the streets of Toronto and waited.<p>

He didn't have to wait long for the voice of dispatch. "There's an armed gunman at Toronto General. He has hostages. We need all units in the area to check it out."

The man grinned. He wasn't near Toronto General, but he wasn't on the schedule. He could easily just show up and they wouldn't think twice about him. _That's the power of being a shadow. _The man thought, flicking his lights on.

And hit the gas pedal to the floor.


	28. Chapter 28

**_Chapter Twenty-Eight_**

By the time Eli had finally found his way to Clare's room, Toronto was already starting to be painted in darkness. _Almost like the darkness that is about to descend on this hospital, _Eli mused. He was thankful that he had taken his time getting to her room. It bought Kyle enough time to spread the truth about Scorpion before he arrived, and it also allowed Eli to assess how many personnel were still at the hospital. Just as Eli had expected, the moment that people heard gunshots from the main lobby, people had fled. The hospital was almost all but deserted, save for some of the patients that were unable to be taken in the panic. Eli found himself hoping that Clare _had _been left behind so he wouldn't have to go on a search for her. To his relief, she was in her bed, staring out at the Toronto skyline absently.

"Hey, Clare," He whispered as he approached her.

She turned to the sound of the voice, her eyes searching his. After what seemed to be an eternity, she exhaled. "They told me that some of my memories might come back over time," She said conversationally, "Although I can't remember your name right now, I recognize your face."

_Well, that's a relief, _Eli thought to himself. He knew he probably shouldn't ask this question that was in his head, but he needed to for his own sanity. He needed to know from which part of her memory she knew him from – just the other day, or from farther than that. "And how do you recognize my face?" He asked, his voice still a whisper.

Her lips pulled into a smile that struck Eli as almost sad, and that broke his heart. "You were here the other day," She said softly, "And I recognize you from some of my flashbacks. Except... you're much younger in them."

It was Eli's turn to smile sadly. She was recalling him from high school. Morty, their dreadful breakup, their intense love that still echoed through to today. Even though she barely knew him, he still loved her as strongly as he had when they were teenagers, perhaps even more so now. He wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of his life with her, as he had imagined so long ago. He wanted to help her regain all her memories. He wanted to see her become Clare Diana Edwards again, the woman of his dreams - his angel. She was a broken angel right now, but Eli placed his faith in knowing that all she needed was some time and a little help and she would be back to her old self in no time – but that's what she needed: time.

"Did you hear the gunshots downstairs?" Clare asked, tilting her head to the side and a curl of her hair covered her left eye.

"That's why I'm here," Eli said, "I'm here to get you out of here before the police arrive."

"Why before they arrive?" Clare asked, tucking the strand away from her eye and behind her ear.

Eli knew that he was going to waste time explaining this, but she needed to know _something _before he just took her away. "There is a very dangerous man that wants to hurt you," Eli said with a frown, sitting down on the other edge of Clare's bed. "He's the one who–" He swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat, "–did this to you."

Her brow furrowed and her soft lips went downwards into a frown as she tried to remember what exactly happened to her. A tear gathered at the corner of her eye and spilled and went down her cheek slowly. Instinctively, Eli wiped it away before she could. She half-smiled at that, but she was still sad. "I wish I knew what happened to me," She murmured.

_The man downstairs happened to you, _Eli mused to himself darkly. _And the man who hired him, and the man who was meant to be your stepbrother who instead became your husband. These people happened to you. _At the end of the thought, he didn't realize that he'd scowled. He looked back up into her blue eyes and tried to force a smile for her. "You'll remember one day," He said, although he didn't want her to. "I promise."

She accepted that with a nod and stood up. "I don't think I want you to be sad," She said as she gathered some of her things near her bed. "I'll go with you."

_Not like you had much of a choice, _Eli thought but smiled. It would be best if she didn't know that she had no choice in the matter. "We don't have a lot of time," Eli said, grabbing her wrist softly. "Whatever you have in here we can easily replace. We've got to get going."

She looked down at her wrist, frowning for a moment. Eli feared that she may pull away or resist, but she just nodded and her frown faded. "I'm sorry," She murmured, "I just... I'm sorry."

"Nothing to apologize for." Eli said and helped guide her away from her room with only the things she'd grabbed. "I just want to get you to somewhere safe, that's all."

"Is anywhere safe?" Clare asked softly, confidently_. _

This made Eli stop in his tracks. That almost sounded like the Clare from his memory. Was she starting to get back some of her memory? Eli felt his hopes rise. "What do you mean?"

"There are these two men that keep popping up in my memories and they're not you. They were cops, I think."

_Jake and Scorpion. _Eli thought. "They were two people that you knew, yes." He said, rubbing her lower back. "What else can you remember?"

"That's all. Except a few times the shorter one hit me."

"You're starting to remember." Eli said and finally smiled genuinely. "That's good news, Clare. Come on." He nudged her lower back and she continued walking. They made their way down the flight of stairs and all the way to the side entrance where he'd entered. Eli saw a flashlight down the end of the hall and ducked him and Clare into one of the rooms, hoping that the person on the other end of the flashlight didn't see them.

"What is it?" Clare whispered.

Eli pressed a finger to his lips, indicating he wanted her to be quiet.

"Elijah Goldsworthy!" A voice called out from down the hall that Eli did not recognize. Eli closed his eyes and hoped that the man hadn't seen him, but his flashlight settled onto their hiding spot and Eli cursed. "Come out with your hands UP!"


	29. Chapter 29

_**Chapter Twenty-Nine**_

Not being able to remain quiet for long, Clare whispered, "Who is that man?"

Eli's eyes were still closed. He couldn't believe that he found himself in yet _another _one of these situations that seemed preplanned. How could this man know who he was? How did this man even know that he was _in _the hospital? He hadn't told a soul about his plan. Only Kyle knew, and Kyle was currently preoccupied himself. So this narrowed down the list of people who knew it was him. Finally, he opened his eyes into the frightened blue orbs of Clare's. "I think it's the man responsible for all this."

Her eyes widened. "No." She said, shaking her head. "It can't be."

Eli nodded and looked away, unable to handle the fear in her eyes. He was supposed to her her out of her safe, long before Scorpion showed up. This couldn't be him. It just couldn't be. "It might very well be."

"We don't know that for sure," Clare insisted, "It could be someone else."

Eli shook his head. "Given the luck I've had, I'd say it's him."

A silence fell between them but it did not last. "Elijah Goldsworthy, I will not say this again. Come out with your hands up."

"What are we going to do?" Clare asked nervously.

"What choice do we have?" Eli retorted. "I'm going to do what the man says. You remain here."

Clare began to protest, but Eli quickly silenced her with a kiss. It was brief, but long enough to make her stomach flutter. She blinked at him as he smirked. "I love you, Clare."

"I—I love you, too."

Eli put his hands up and got out from around the corner. The second he did so, the flashlight went right on him.

"Stay right there." The man ordered. "Don't move."

"How did you know I was here, Scorpion?" Eli asked boldly. "I didn't tell anyone. You've got resources, but not that many."

"You really think I'm Scorpion?" The man asked and actually laughed. "I despise that son of a bitch. I want nothing more than to bring that man to justice."

Clare blinked; this entire conversation was nearly lost on her. She didn't know who Scorpion was, or this man. He sounded like someone she knew from her past... but older. She tried to remember to the best of her ability as Eli spoke again.

"If you're not Scorpion, who are you? Why are you here? I just don't understand who you are and what your part in all of this is."

The man chuckled again and lowered the flashlight off of Eli. "I met Scorpion when I was a teenager," The man began softly, "My father had come back into my life and, to my failure, I was unable to protect my mother against him. I called the police the moment I found my mother laying in a puddle of her own blood. The officer that arrived was in a short sleeve police uniform, exposing a re-inked scorpion tattoo. He did the normal investigation routine but when he was about to leave, he said that my mother had asked for it. Said that she couldn't hide from the man that had been her husband." The man's tone grew angrier. "I never forget that. I swore that this man, this "officer of the law" was up to no good. I swore that I would have revenge on him for saying that my mother deserved the beating that she got."

Eli chuckled darkly. "You should've killed him. That's the easiest way to get revenge."

"I realize that now," The man admitted, "And people like you and Clare have paid the price for that. I didn't want to just kill him: that was too easy. I wanted him to face public disgrace. I wanted him to lose all his power and influence that he'd gained. I wanted him to suffer in a jail cell for the rest of his life, living with the shame. That would've been revenge better than death."

"It can still happen, you know," Eli said, "We can still bring him down."

"I think we've had a nice enough chat, "The man said, looking around. "Have you found her yet?"

"Can you please just tell me who you are?" Eli pleaded. "Please?"

Before the man could speak, Clare shouted, "KC!" Eli looked over at her as she bounded out from her hiding spot to join him. "I remember now!"

Eli looked back over at the man. Now that he had gotten closer, Eli could now see the older features of Clare's ex-boyfriend KC. Eli hadn't know the boy well enough, but had seen him in the halls enough to remember what he looked like. He never figured he would have an ally in an ex-boyfriend. "This still doesn't answer how you knew I was in here or what exactly you're doing here." Eli said, looking down at the man's gun and feeling nervous.

"I had looked at the records of the hospital and managed to find a Clare Diana Edwards here." KC explained, "And I've been watching the news very carefully. I figured you two had to be dating again," He said, chuckling, "So when I came to see if she had made it safe, I figured you would've been in there trying to get her out."

"That's a lot of guessing for a cop." Eli said suspiciously.

"I was right, wasn't I?"

Eli exhaled. "Yeah, you were."

Clare had been silent, simply looking from KC to Eli and back again. "What are we going to do now?"

"I think KC is going to help you get out of here," Eli said solemnly. "We need to get out of here now. We've wasted enough time as it is." Eli looked up at KC. "Can you take her away from here? Far away from here? She's pregnant. She needs to live."

"What? Wait!" Clare exclaimed. "You're coming with me, aren't you?"

Eli shook his head just as he heard the helicopter above the hospital. He grabbed Clare's shoulder and nudged her over to KC. "Please. Take her somewhere safe away from Toronto. Go to the States if you have to – Europe, I don't care. Just keep her safe."

"What are you going to be doing?" KC asked.

"The person holding hostages in the main lobby is... an ally of mine. He's going to try and get face to face with Scorpion. I want to be there. I _need _to be there." Eli said, taking a step back as Clare reached for him. "Can you keep her safe?"

KC looked down at Clare, who was now struggling against his grip. He quickly nodded. "I wasn't able to protect my mother. I will protect Clare with my life, Eli. I swear."

That was enough for Eli. He turned around and began jogging back in the direction of the main lobby.

When he was out of sight, Clare cried out, "NO!"


	30. Chapter 30

**_Chapter Thirty_**

_**Author's Note:**__**Well, this is it. **_

_**This is what we've all been waiting for. **_

_**The conclusion to this tale. **_

_**The finale.**_

_**It's time to see who'll come out of this alive... and who won't.**_

_**Enjoy!**_

She couldn't just let him go like this. Although her memory was slowly coming back to her, and despite parts of her life missing with that man who had just ran in the direction of danger, she couldn't let him go alone. She just couldn't bear the though of something happening to him that she could've prevented. She loved that man very much, and she didn't want to lose him.

"There's nothing you can do to help him," said KC, regarding her sympathetically as he guided her towards the exit of the hospital that had been his entrance. "You're going to have to forget about him. He's a dead man."

_That _angered her. "And you just let him go like that?" She snapped. "You should've went with him! You've got a gun!"

KC stopped and glowered down at her. "You don't think I _know _that? He went there unarmed, Clare. Not me. He could've asked for my gun or my assistance, but didn't. He simply wanted to make sure you were safe. I've got a promise to keep." He said, continuing to pull her along. "Now let's go."

Clare allowed herself to be dragged a little further as she realized the meaning of what KC said. "He's basically committing suicide," She murmured, stunned. "That's what you're saying."

Her answer was a mute nod.

"Well, that can't be it!" She protested. "He's got to have some other plan. Maybe he wants his... his accomplice to kill Scorpion! And then they're both going to escape!"

KC pulled her through the door and out into the open, where the sound of a helicopter was out in the distance. "You hear that?" asked KC, pointing up in the sky. "That's just the beginning. No one in that lobby will live to see another day. Scorpion will create some excuse to kill everyone in there to cover his tracks – that's what he does."

"I know Eli made you promise him to keep me safe, but I can't just leave them there," Clare said sadly, prompting KC to turn around just in time for him to feel her knee into his crotch. He collapsed to the concrete. "I'm sorry!"

Before she could hear his reply, she ran back into the hospital with.

She ran as fast as her legs could carry her, a sense of dread gathering in her stomach.

_Please, please, please, God, don't let me be late._

* * *

><p>With the pretense of a hostage situation behind them, the people Kyle had talked to were now ready to help in his cause. He had a man as a lookout; keeping Kyle informed of how man police cars were arriving on the scene as they came. When a car he didn't recognize arrived, he spoke up. "I think he's here!"<p>

Kyle eased through the crowd of people that were now far more relaxed to the window, where he peered though to see the strange car that the man – named Chris – had identified. Kyle squinted in order to see better, although it was not needed. A tall, muscular man appeared out the passenger side door of the latest arrival and Kyle recognized Scorpion immediately.

This was it.

"All right, people!" Kyle said, sticking his arm in the air with his gun. "He's here. We've got to pretend like good little hostages and captor. So, please take your spots and let's get this show on the road."

A stark contrast to when he first arrived, all the people took their assigned spots on the floor and put their hands behind their heads. Kyle took his spot walking in a circle around them when the phone on the other end of the library began to ring.

"Answer it!" Kyle shouted to the hostage closest to it. The woman didn't flinch; knowing that was what Kyle was going to do. She made her voice sound shaky and weak as she called out to Kyle for him to come over and talk to the negotiator on his terms. Kyle stomped over there and offered the woman a small smile as he took the phone from her.

"What are your demands, Kyle?" The voice of Scorpion filled Kyle's mind. "Let's just cut straight to the chase, okay? You're wasting a lot of manpower here."

"I want you and you alone to come into this hospital, Scorpion," said Kyle calmly. "Unarmed, so you may face the truth."

"Face the truth? What's that mean?"

"You asked for my demands, and there they are. Do with them what you please. Just know that if you do need heed them, someone _will _be hurt."

Kyle quickly slammed the phone down before Scorpion could get the last word in. He was beyond playing games with that man. This was a time and place for an ending, and Kyle was determined to have it.

Kyle didn't have to take two steps away from the phone before it rang again. He picked it up expecting it to be Scorpion again, but it was a different man.

"Scorpion has agreed to your demands, Mr. Martin. He's making his was towards you now. Please do _not _shoot him – he's unarmed."

_Yeah, right. _Kyle murmured to himself. He ripped the phone out of the jack and made his way back into the lobby – just in time to see Scorpion open the front door and walk in with his hands up.

"Is everyone all right?" He asked, being completely unprofessional.

"Like you give a damn," One of them murmured.

"I care, I assure you –"

The entire lobby jumped as the sound of two gunshots erupted, followed by the sound of Scorpion falling to his knees.

"You... idiot!" Scorpion shouted with all his might, reaching for his stashed gun. Kyle pulled the trigger again; hitting him in the hand and making Scorpion fall backwards.

By the time Scorpion could put his secret gun into his uninjured hand, Kyle managed to kick it right out of his hand with one swift kick. As Scorpion tried to grab him, he smashed his boot into his injured hand, causing Scorpion to wince. Kyle leaned down meanacingly. "Now you're going to know the truth of what you've done."

Scorpion was about to say something as Kyle brought up his other foot and smashed it against Scorpion's face, hard.

The big man didnt move afterwards. Kyle suspected that he'd been knocked out, as had been his plan when he brought his foot across the man's face. He wanted him to wake up in a different world than he had fallen asleep in. There was just one problem with this plan.

Kyle didn't know how long Scorpion would be out.

In order to make sure he would be out long enpugh, Kyle smashed his foot against Scorpion's face twice, causing a laceration that began to bleed quite profusely. Content with his handiwork, Kyle took an ankle in each hand and dragged Scorpion over to the crowd of people that watched that small brutality with a faint look of disapproval; not that Kyle cared anyway. This man didn't deserve to be treated with respect. He was a monster, plain and simple. Kyle had done his best to show these people that.

_Now it's time for the next part of my plan._

"Someone signal to the police outside that I want to talk about hostage negotiation," Kyle ordered, looking around. "You've played your hostage role, it's time for this crisis to end."

* * *

><p>Eli, it seemed, was always arriving late to the party.<p>

By the time he'd arrived at the lobby, Kyle had already gotten the upper hand. Seeing Kyle talking to some of what Eli suspected were his "hostages", Eli walked over to him and tapped him lightly on the shoulder.

"Eli?" Kyle said, his tone suddenly distant. "I thought you were going to take Clare as far away as possible. If you're here, where's she?"

"She's in the hands of someone I trusted with her life."

"Why'd you come back?"

Eli looked over at the fallen form of Scorpion. "I just had to see him."

Kyle gestured, nudging Eli softly in the direction of the body. "He's alive, don't worry. He's just unconscious. If it'll bring you clousure to see the face of the man who has been your tormentor for so long, I won't stand in the way. I'll be right over here, okay?"

Eli nodded absentmindidly as he approached the fallen form. In this state, Scorpion didn't look _nearly _as intimidating as Eli had imagined him to be. He almost looked peaceful – something Eli didn't expect to see this man like at all. "You're not as scary as I thought you'd be," Eli murmured, sinking to his haunches as he pushed the man's shoulder. "Although you _do _look as cowardly as the attacks you've ordered on Clare," He snarled, his anger rises. "You and Jake thought that true men beat their women. You wanted _obediance_, and Clare defied you. That isn't something to be ashamed about. I'm glad she defied you. I'm glad she defied Jake." He paused, trying not to attract the attention of the other people around him as he leaned in as if to whisper a secret to him. "I thought I was sorry at first that Clare killed Jake, but now I'm glad. I'm glad that she doesn't have to worry about him hurting her ever again."

In his restricted line of sight, Eli hadn't seen the uninjured hand of Scorpion sink beneath his pants and pull out the holdout gun he'd had stashed away.

By the time Eli felt the muzzle of the gun at his chest, it was too late.

_Bang. _

* * *

><p>Clare let out a blood-curddling scream as she saw the blood erupt from Eli's back the <em>moment <em>she had entered the lobby. She ran over to Eli, who had managed to fall backwards _off _of Scorpion rather than _on _him.

"Eli! Eli? Stay with me!" She cried as she craddled his head weakly, not knowing what else to do. She thought about applying pressure to the wound but upon taking a closer look at the hole that was in his chest, applying pressure might've been out of the question. She simply cradled his head; the panicked voices of the other people around her drowned out the moment she heard Eli's voice.

"Clare...?"

Her eyes widened, as her vision seemed to zoom in on him. The moment he had spoken, all she could hear was him. Everyone else had been snuffed out. "Eli, be still and quiet. You're going to be all right, you just need to conserve your strength."

He wasn't listening, of course. "Clare... Do... do you know what I saw... when I first saw you?"

Clare shook her head, the tears spilling and rolling down her cheeks as she shook her head. "No, I don't know what you saw."

"I could see your... bright blue eyes from the hearse. They were eyes of an angel, for sure.. I could see the momentary hurt that my running over them had caused. I had, to my luck, hurt an angel. I couldn't just keep going... I had to stop and let... you know that you had the most pretty eyes I've ever seen..."

Clare closed her eyes as she began to keen softly. "I was never an angel, Eli. You should've kept going. You should've never thought twice about me. You could've went on and married Imogen, and had children." She lowered her head. "You could've been happy!"

"Every moment I was with you... I was happy."

Clare expected him to continue, but there was just silence. She opened her eyes and saw the far away look in Eli's and knew that he wasn't with her anymore.

When the police finally stormed the hospital with the paramedics, she had to be pryed away from Eli by three police officers because she refused to let go.

She had just lost everything.

_Everything. _


	31. Epilogue

**_Epilogue_**

_Five months later..._

With one last exhausted push, Clare Edwards's head hit the pillow with a thump.

The cries of a newborn baby echoed in her mind, and she smiled with her eyes closed. She was very tired after almost ten hours of labor, but it had been worth it. All the pain, loss, and suffering she'd endured had been worth it. She was breathing heavy – almost in a world of her own – but she could still hear the doctor.

"It's a boy."

Her smile widened considerably. "A son," She panted, feeling an almost desperation to hold her newborn son, "I've a son..."

"We'll have him cleaned up in no time, Miss Edwards, and then you can hold your son. Do you know what you're going to name him?"

Despite being in an almost daze, Clare nodded. "Elijah," She whispered. "Eli for short.."

The nurse smiled. "A wonderful name, Miss Edwards." Another nurse handed her the bundled up and now silent newborn, for which she passed to Clare easily. "We'll let you two have some time alone."

As the room cleared out, Clare looked down at her son and for the first time in a long time, didn't feel completely alone. The loss of Eli still pained her, but now there was someone to help fill that void that his death had caused. "I won't lie to you, little man," She said, rubbing her index finger along the chubby little chin, "Your namesake isn't your biological father, but rather of the man I _wanted _so badly to be your father. Who _should _have been your father. We all make mistakes, and I paid a terrible price for mine." Her bottom lip quivered as a tear trailed down her cheek. "You've got a big responisbility to handle. You've got to be my little Eli, okay? I don't want to miss him to the point I cry every night because I have you." She reached down and kissed the infant's forrehead.

"I love you, Eli," She looked up at the ceiling, fresh tears spilling from her eyes as she looked to the Lord and hevean. "He wasn't perfect, God, but I know you'd accept him for what he did for me. Tell him I love and miss him so much. Tell him I'm forever thankful to him."

_**The End.**_


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